The right thing
by Ahra
Summary: Remy's back from Antartica and Betsy doesn't think he's being treated well so she decides to try and help. Warning: smut violence and cursing
1. Default Chapter

Authors Note: Ok, Like Wild Side, this is based on old X-men with a few changes. Warren has his feathered wings back but is not blue. I hated the whole blue and blonde look and I'm not a big fan of him in the first place (as, I'm sure, readers of my other story could tell). I'm altering the time line because I was not really reading the X-men during the whole Antarctic trial and when Betsy started teleporting (walking through shadows-whatever that means). I have, however, read a lot of fanfiction about the trial so I think I've got the basics. If not, oh well.  
  
This is, therefore, AU and this is how I'm handling it. I'm following the X- men and Uncanny X-men series up to a little after Psylocke and Revanche went to find out why they switched bodies and maybe a bit beyond that as I reread a lot of my old issues. Also, in this AU, Psylocke does not teleport. The trial was held in Eric the Red's fortress, Warren defended Remy until the 'he gathered the Marauders' bit came up, the fortress started to come down, the X-men reached the Blackbird ok except for Remy (who was hampered by his restraints) and Rogue (who yelled that she would grab Remy but returned to the Blackbird empty-handed, saying he was already dead).  
  
Several months later, Remy returns (no green mist rescue thing, though). Rogue's furious. Warren's furious. Scott's trying to hold the team together. Remy is asked to move to the boathouse. His empathy is still a secret (as far as most people know). Betsy and Warren are dating. Scott and Jean are dating (of course). I'm not completely sure who was and was not there at the time so I'm sticking with the main characters (for now)  
  
Anyway-Required Disclaimer- I don't own the characters, this is for my amusement and hopefully others will like it. I like reviews and feedback but I'll write with or without them as long as I'm enjoying what I'm writing.  
  
Lastly-WARNING This work will contain smut, cursing, and violence. It is R for a reason.  
  
Thank you  
  
P.S. I'm not sure about the title, so if someone thinks of a better one...  
  
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Chapter One  
  
Betsy was watching from an upstairs window as the lean trench coat covered figure made his way slowly to the boathouse. His shoulders were more bowed and broken than she had ever seen them and no wonder. He had lost everything. She had not been any better when she had lost her eyes to Slaymaster, her freedom to Mojo, or her mind and body to Matsuo's machinations. Then there was the time when Revanche had first shown up. The look of betrayal in the eyes of the others as a woman wearing Betsy's British body stood there and convinced them Betsy was an imposter, that she was a spy sent to destroy the X-men from within. Even Logan had not defended her, pointing out instead that both of the supposed Betsys seemed to be right. So, both she and Revanche had been forced to prove their case, the others standing in judgement.  
  
Jean had been the worst of the lot. She had declared Scott's lust for Betsy was proof of Revanche's accusations. She had accused Betsy of actively trying to seduce Scott as part of her role as a spy, a plant, for Matsuo and his assassin organization, the Hand. Betsy's eyes still narrowed in anger when she remembered the whole scene. It was not Betsy's fault that Scott lusted after women other than her wife. Actually, according to mansion history, Jean had no room to complain, stringing along both Scott and Logan for years. The woman was not above flirting with Bobby, Hank, or Warren, even though the blonde was dating Betsy now.  
  
That was another annoyance to the British born psionic. He was becoming more and more distant later. The return of Remy had brought about almost an obsession in the man that Betsy could not understand. She could understand anger that Remy had brought them together, but not the depth of hatred the winged mutant felt toward the returned thief. That was probably why he spent so much more time with Bobby, Rogue, and his other friends. Perhaps they sympathized with him more than she could. Old friends could be like that.  
  
The sky had begun to rain once again, reflecting Storm's mood. The woman had become more and more withdrawn since Remy's return, as likely to snarl and snap as she was to smile sadly or offer a friendly greeting. Storm won leadership over the Marauder's victims, the Morlocks, years ago but had become very close to Remy after the Siege Perilous. It had to be hard on the woman. The others gave her wide berth and gentle understanding, even a shoulder to cry on if needed.  
  
Betsy could understand all of that but she could also understand the pain of the thief walking alone and rejected. What would she have given for acceptance, trust, or loyalty when Revanche had arrived with her stinging accusations? It would not have even needed to be that much. It would have alleviated so much of the pain she still bore if just one of them had given her, their established teammate, a non-judgmental ear, the chance to talk, even just a kind word, instead of ostracizing both her and Revanche. It still hurt and she could not turn to Warren for help to alleviate the pain this time. He was in too much pain from his own feelings, his own demons.  
  
Betsy leaned her head against the glass. Well, her mother had always said the best way to help yourself was to help another. The telepath could not help any of those in the mansion. Old friends and family were already comforting those who needed it, giving them more than she could give or that they would accept from her. However, there was one person she could help. One person she could give what had not been given to her.  
  
Turning away, she grabbed her coat and purse before quickly exiting the mansion. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
  
She hurried through the rain, trying to stay as dry as possible, yet still drenched when she finally knocked on the door of the old boathouse. There was no response but she knew he was in there. She could feel his mind even if she could not read it, so she knocked again. There was still no answer but Betsy did not consider leaving. She had come down here to do a good deed and she was bloody well going to whether Remy wanted it or not. That last thought struck Betsy as very funny, so she was laughing softly to herself when she knocked once again.  
  
The door finally opened a crack and Remy peered out, suspicion and confusion clouding his lean face. "Can Remy help you?"  
  
That comment also struck her as funny since the whole point of coming down here was to help herself by helping him and, so far, it was working. "Actually," She began once she could speak again, "I was wondering if you would like to go out for dinner then the grocery store."  
  
"Pourquoi?"  
  
The defensive tone did not phase her. They had never been friends are even really companions so of course he was suspicious. She kept her smile firmly in place as she replied. "I doubt there is any food in there since no one has lived here in a very long time. It would not do for you to starve after everything you have been through. So, I thought it would be good to go out and stock up on what you'll need while you are living here and it occurred to me that it is almost supper and the weather is cold. So, I thought we could eat a nice warm dinner before we went shopping and it would give the boathouse awhile to warm up while we are gone." His eyes were still suspicious but he had not shut the door in her face so she hoped he would come.  
  
They stood there for several minutes and Betsy was beginning to wonder if she should just leave and come back with take-out when he finally nodded. "Oui, dat sounds bien."  
  
Betsy gave him a pleased smile as she held up the keys. "Good, get your coat and we can leave."  
  
Remy still did not smile as he stepped out, still wearing his coat. They hurried back through the rain to the garage, keeping to the less used paths so they would not meet up with anyone else, and they were in her car. The radio immediately blared to life when she turned on the key causing both of them jump before Betsy managed to get it turned down to an acceptable level and changed to a softer station. She smiled apologetically at her companion and gave a one word explanation, "Jubilee."  
  
Remy gave her a small, tentative smile in return, "De femme like her music loud." Suddenly, he seemed to realize what he was doing and he quickly turned to look out the window, the smile gone.  
  
Betsy was not discouraged. Quite the opposite, he had actually smiled and the evening was barely begun.  
  
They drove into town in silence, Remy not wanting to engage in idle chit- chat and Betsy, understanding this, did not press. Tonight was not about talking. It was about an act of kindness and letting him know if he wished to talk, she would listen.  
  
They pulled into a small out of the way bistro which served the best hot soup and sandwiches in town. It was a safe choice when you did not know what the other person liked to eat and, in Remy's case, Betsy had no clue. They stepped out into the nice, cool night, the rain having stopped once they had gotten away from the mansion, and the stars were exceptionally bright. The breeze carried a hint of the rain they had just left combined with scents of the flowers that grew around the place.  
  
Betsy smiled as she breathed deeply, then turned to Remy. "The evening is so beautiful, would you mind if we sat on the patio?"  
  
His red on black eyes were staring at her with greater suspicion and curiosity as he replied. "'S your show, Remy sit where you say."  
  
Betsy held his gaze, looking very serious. "Tonight, Remy, you are my guest. We will sit where you like."  
  
There were another few moments of silence before the Cajun nodded as if deciding on something. "Outside is bien."  
  
"Are you certain?"  
  
"Oui."  
  
Betsy's mind took that moment to point out how foolish it must look for two adults to be so serious about where to sit in a small bistro and her smile quickly returned. "Now that we have that settled, shall we go inside?"  
  
"This time, Remy agree with you first time, 'stead of staying out here starving." They both smiled at the shared humor. He offered her his arm in an, apparently, unconscious gesture since his eyes widened in slight surprise when she took the offered limb without hesitation.  
  
Inside, they were quickly seated, thanks to a history of large tips from all the times Warren and her had eaten here, and Betsy was thankful that the waitress was discreet enough not to comment on the her new dining partner. Their silence continued through the meal and lasted until they were both relaxing with their after dinner coffees.  
  
Betsy was staring out over the lovely scenery when Remy finally asked the question he had probably been wondering about all night. "Betsy, why you doin' this?"  
  
She turned her body to face his, letting him know she had his full attention and spent a few minutes considering how to explain. "I did this for several reasons. Do you remember when Revanche came?" He nodded. "No one wanted to speak to either of us and that hurt me, very much. I had been with this team, in this body, for several months during which I had saved them more than once. I can still feel the pain of the betrayal, the surprise that not even one teammate would have give me a chance to talk, tell what I knew about the situation. I still believe I deserved at least that much consideration. You are in the same situation. You are a teammate and have saved my life as well as the team's more than once. I do not wish to see history repeated because I deserved better and so do you. Therefore, I am here to listen, without judgement and with the promise that I will not repeat our conversations, if you should ever feel the need to talk about anything."  
  
"This is pity, den?" His voice was sharp and sarcastic.  
  
Betsy shook her head slightly. "No, it is the right thing to do. I know you are suspicious of my motives. We have never been closer than acquaintances. That does not change my offer and that is all this is: an offer. What you do with it is completely up to you." She took a slow sip from her coffee before continuing with a small smile. "I should warn you, though, my family is known for stubbornness and my brother, Brian, always says I am the worst of the lot."  
  
That surprised a short laugh out of Remy which made Betsy glad as she turned her attention back to the coffee. Silence, again, reigned until they were done at the grocery store and Betsy insisted that the bill be placed on the mansion's tab. "You are a member of the team and living on the property. Why should you pay for your own groceries when no one else with those two qualifications does?"  
  
Remy's face was set in a stern expression, but he lowered his sunglasses enough for her to see a spark of humor in his eye. "Remy gotta say, yo'r frere is right. You one stubborn femme."  
  
"Then give in. After all, it is bad manners to argue with your hostess."  
  
He put his hands up in mock surrender. "Remy know when he's beat. Put 'em on Charlie's tab. On'y t'ing is, he come lookin' for a reason, Remy blamin' you."  
  
They laughed together lightly as they finished loading the car. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
  
Silence was resumed as the car pulled out of the grocery store parking lot and began the journey back to the mansion. Remy's alien eyes were staring unseeingly out the window and Betsy was startled when he suddenly spoke in a soft voice. "Always hated de cold. Hate it more, now. Never warm no more. Snow and cold in Remy's bones now. Just glad Remy ain't on team with Bobby. All dat ice. Is wrong, Remy knows, but, when Bobby ice up, Remy just want to get 'way. Can't 'magine fightin' 'side 'im no more."  
  
"I can understand that."  
  
"You ain't got problem fightin' 'side anyone 'ere."  
  
"Apparently I am better at hiding my feelings than I thought. I do not like to even be in the same room as Scott or Jean. Jean has accused me several times of trying to seduce Scott and he has never denied the charges. It is very difficult for me when Warren wants us to go out with them. However, they are two of his oldest and dearest friends so I do my best to remain civil around them."  
  
"'Ow you manage dat?"  
  
Betsy lips lifted into a sardonic smile. "I remain very, very silent and amuse myself with petty revenge fantasies."  
  
Remy chuckled and, after a moment, Betsy joined in. She felt as if she had just been tested and she hoped she had passed. No more was said as Betsy pulled the car in close to the boathouse and helped Remy carry the bags inside. Afterwards, he walked her back to her car.  
  
"Merci for dinner and de rest."  
  
"Your welcome. Remember, if you want to talk, just call me."  
  
"Jus' might. You better get goin' or Ange be comin' after dis Cajun's hide. 'Night."  
  
"Good night, Remy, sleep well."  
  
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Warren was waiting for her when she walked into the mansion. He did not look happy and Betsy sighed, knowing this was not going to end pleasantly. She tried to keep her tone light as she greeted him.  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
"I went out to dinner." Betsy intentionally did not mention having company. If she had, Warren would want to know who it was and that would just lead to a fight if she refused to tell him. It would lead to an even bigger fight if told him she had been out with Remy.  
  
Warren looked meaningfully at his watch. "It's rather late for dinner, isn't it?"  
  
"It is a beautiful night in town. I took time to enjoy it."  
  
"You could have called and let me know."  
  
Betsy was becoming very tired of the conversation and sought to end it quickly. "Warren, when I left, you were closeted with Jean for counseling and did not wish to be disturbed. How was I to know when that ended?"  
  
"You could have left a note!"  
  
Her temples were beginning to ache. "You are obviously upset and tired. I am tired and becoming upset. This is only going to end in a pointless fight so I am going to bed. If you still wish to discuss this, we can do so in the morning when we are both rested. Good night." Betsy forced herself to retain outwardly calm as she climbed the stairs and closed her bedroom door firmly behind her. She would be sleeping alone tonight. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
  
The next day dawned as dreary as the previous one but nobody inside the mansion had time to worry about it. Scott had scheduled an early practice session and it was a tired and distracted group that arrived that morning. The atmosphere changed from tense to downright ugly as Remy arrived, late as usual. Most of the time, it was just one of his quirks. Today, however, Betsy suspected it was because he did not really want to be here. Who could blame him? Warren and Rogue glared daggers at the man while Storm very obviously, turned her back on him. Logan did not seem to care and the others seemed unnerved by the tension in the room.  
  
Betsy was not sure how to respond. Should she greet him, allow it to be openly known that she was speaking to him? Should she pretend dislike of him to match Warren's emotions? She would prefer not to do either, to keep it silent for now and avoid the complications trying to help Remy was going to bring. However, she had made the decision to be there for her teammate if he needed her and it would be wrong, not to mention possibly very harmful to him, if she were to back out now.  
  
Her head high and back straight, she began to walk toward him, to greet him. However, before she had taken more than a step, he looked up, catching her eye, and subtly shook his head no. Betsy paused in confusion as he turned away from her and retreated, alone, to a far corner of the room, leaning insolently against the wall as Scott explained the purpose of the exercise. They were to reach the objective, a small sphere in a locked box, retrieve it, and bring it safely to the starting point. It was supposed to be a full team exercise. Betsy mentally predicted it would fail miserably.  
  
She was not wrong. Everyone fulfilled their usual roles, destroying the attacks, covering other's backs...except Remy's. Betsy was disappointed as she saw Warren watch an attack drone line up on Remy and fire, knocking the Cajun to the floor. The winged mutant had a very satisfied smile on his face while the drone lined up for another shot. Betsy cursed silently and quickly lept up to an upper level before launching herself at the drone. The move placed her foolishly at risk but this was a team exercise and a team was built on trust. She trusted her teammates to watch her back. If they failed that trust, it was better to learn it here than in actual battle.  
  
Her foot connected with the drone's gun just in time, causing its force beam to miss Remy by inches. Landing in a crouch, she had to throw herself into a back roll to dodge out of the way as the drone turned its gun on her. It followed her, its programming rating her as more of a threat than Remy and she drew her katana preparing to disable it but the drone's tactical program anticipated the move and fired, knocking the steel from her hand and placing her completely on the defensive. It took aim again but, before it could fire, the drone exploded under the onslaught of several kinetically charged cards. She looked past the smoking metal to see Remy and nodded a thank you. He gave her a mock salute in return before turning back to the exercise, only to hit the ground, again.  
  
Warren's fist had connected firmly with the Cajun's jaw and, now, he stood over Remy's fallen form, yelling at him, "Get up! I saw what you did and you're going to pay for it, you traitor!"  
  
Betsy could hear Scott calling for the danger room to be shut down as she stepped forward and lay a restraining hand on Angel's arm. "Warren, what are you talking about? What did you see him try to do?"  
  
"He attacked you."  
  
Betsy blinked and taking a step back in surprise. "When?"  
  
"Just now, if that drone had not gotten in the way..."  
  
His accusation was interrupted by Scott who came striding over demanding an explanation and Warren immediately responded with his side of the story. "Betsy attacked the drone to save his worthless hide and the Cajun responded with his true colors, attacking her while she was busy. Luckily the drone got in the way and I was able to interfere before he got a second chance."  
  
Betsy was speechless, appalled, and turned to look at the others expecting to see them feel the same. She was unpleasantly shocked to see some of them seemed to buy the winged mutant's version.  
  
Luckily, Scott was not one of those. "Ok, Remy, your turn."  
  
"Remy don't miss. He hit what he aim for." Gambit's voice was harsh and insolent, not asking for understanding or trust and not expecting it.  
  
Betsy could understand and sympathize. Remy felt that he was already judged and saw no reason to explain. Scott was about to say something but Betsy spoke first. "Gambit did not attack me. He was struck by one of the drones and it was moving in for another shot. I intercepted it and lured it away from my fallen teammate. When he was able, Gambit came to my aid and destroyed the drone."  
  
Scott studied her intently, weighing the evidence, and Betsy inwardly sighed as Jean's eyes narrowed in anger. The red-head really needed a reality check.  
  
The leader turned his attention back to the two men. By this time, Remy had regained his feet and was obviously ready if Warren tried anything and Warren was obviously considering just that. "Ok, so it was a misunderstanding. The two of you shake hands and we'll get on with the training."  
  
Warren gave Scott a brief glare. "I'm not shaking his hand. I've never understood why are we even letting him stay here?"  
  
"He's a teammate, Warren."  
  
"He's a traitor, a thief, and a whore!"  
  
Remy did not reply, instead he simply turned his back and walked quickly out of the room.  
  
Warren smiled in triumph and Scott looked like he wanted to say something but Betsy spoke first. "That was uncalled for, Warren."  
  
"It's what he is." Warren turned his glare on her, his eyes sharp, icy blue. "Besides, why are you defending him? For that matter, why did you go after that drone? You were perfectly safe where you were."  
  
"I was helping a teammate in trouble. It is what teammates do. Why didn't you do something about the drone when it attacked?" Betsy intentionally left the question nonspecific. She hoped Warren would realize what he had done.  
  
"If you hadn't put yourself in jeopardy for that traitor..."  
  
Betsy's eyes were as hard and cold as his as she turned and walked out of the room, disgusted with the whole scene. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
  
Hurrying through her shower, Betsy quickly escaped the mansion to walk down the path to the boathouse. Warren's words to Remy had been excessively harsh and she wanted to make sure the Cajun was alright. Knocking on the door, she was not surprised when it remained closed. Whether he was there or not, he would probably not be eager for company at the moment. He might have left the grounds and she wanted to be sure he was alright. Reaching out cautiously, she felt the brush of his mind. It was strong indicating he was near, so she knocked again. After a few minutes, the door finally opened and Remy stood there in shorts, drying his long hair.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"Bon jour. Hope you ain't waitin' too long, Remy just takin' a shower."  
  
"No, not long. I wanted to see how you are doing after that scene in the Danger Room."  
  
Remy shrugged nonchalantly but Betsy thought she could see the pain and anger deep in his eyes. "It's rien. You shouldn' be down here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Someone sees you here, dey tell Ange', he goin' be plenty mad. Don't wanna come 'tween you 'nd 'im or de ot'ers."  
  
She smiled at the kind concern. "I thought I told you, I am very stubborn. I decided last night that you needed a true teammate through this and I volunteered myself for the job. Therefore, unless you have someone else to replace me, you are stuck with me. Which means I will be checking on you regularly, making myself a right pest. Therefore, as Jubilee would say, get over it."  
  
Remy laughed and she smiled in satisfaction. "You be 'ell on yo'r parents. Remy can tell."  
  
"I will have you know I was a model child."  
  
"Model troublemaker. Remy, he de perfect chile'." Betsy raised an eyebrow, impressed the Cajun had been able say that with a straight face, and he flashed her one of his old teasing grins. "Perfect terror. Should'a' seen po' Jean Luc's 'ouse when Remy got his powers."  
  
"Hmmm, I imagine it was probably on par with my parents' problems with Brian."  
  
"Brian?"  
  
"My twin brother. He has had his super strength and near-invulnerability most of his life."  
  
"Must'a been some fun tantrums dere." They shared a smile until he tapped his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Merde!"  
  
The sudden curse startled Betsy and she glanced around quickly, trying to discover what was wrong. "Is something the matter?"  
  
"Remy's bein' a bad host. Tante Mattie'd tan dis boy's hide she eva' find out. Wanna come in for coffee?"  
  
Betsy laughed, the insolent Cajun thief worried about manners? "I would love to."  
  
Stepping back so she could enter, he closed the door behind them. "Be right back. Make yo'self at home while 'm gettin' some clothes on."  
  
Betsy nodded and did not resist studying him as he left. The man had a gorgeous body and, as she had tried to explain to Jean, looking never harmed a relationship. If it seemed to be a problem, there was already something fundamentally wrong.  
  
Looking around, Betsy frowned in distaste. The boathouse showed its obviously long disuse from the dust covering everything to the outdated, atrocious furniture making for a very depressing atmosphere. Hopefully, Remy would not be here very long. It couldn't be healthy.  
  
A few minutes later, he came down in his usual obscenely tight jeans and t- shirt and ushered her into the kitchen where he began fixing breakfast. "Hope ya don' mind, didn' have time t'eat 'fore practice."  
  
"Please, go ahead. Actually, if it is not too much trouble, I would love some toast." He threw her another of his old teasing grins. "I t'ink I c'n remember 'ow to work a toaster." 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six  
  
They ate breakfast in silence, sipping on their coffee as Remy lit up one of his cigarettes. "Owe you a t'hanks, Betsy."  
  
"Why? I only did what we were supposed to do, cover a teammate's back."  
  
"Dat's not it but Remy 'ppreciate dat too. You kep' quiet 'bout what I tol' ya las' night. Could'a made it real nasty in there if ya wanted to."  
  
"I do not want to make things more difficult for you."  
  
"So, ya say. Problem is, you gonna stick to dat once you know everyt'ing? Should Remy risk it?"  
  
"That is entirely up to you. I hope to prove worthy of your trust."  
  
"Seems real strange, Ange hatin' me and his femme tryin' ta be a friend."  
  
Betsy felt angery at the inferred accusation but her mind quickly pointed out the logic of the thought process behind it. Besides, he had not actually accused her, yet, was giving her a chance for rebuttal. "I hope you are not insinuating I am a spy for Warren. Yes, I am in a relationship with him but I would like to thinkg he would not stoop so low as to treat me like some some mutant Mata Hari. I, also, hope I would not sink so low as to tolerate such behavior."  
  
"Ya don' rile easy."  
  
"I know you are testing me. I would probably have done the same if you had approached me when Revanche was here."  
  
Remy stared deeply into his cup. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't t'ink..."  
  
"Don't, please. I did not bring it up to give you guilt. As we have already stated, you and I hardly know each other beyond the Danger Room. It never hurt that you did not speak to me because I did not expect you to. Actually, if I had not gone through that situation alone, I probably would not be here, now. Up in that house, they are dealing with their various pains and taking comfort from each other, just as they did when they were confused about me. It is hard for them to see past their own pain, to see what they are doing to others. They are like an old family and we are the two impudent new comers. Their coping methods were chosen long before we arrived and have become so ingrained that they fall into them without realizing it."  
  
"Dat why Ange' ain't noticed you down here?"  
  
The question was asked without rancor or spite, only curiosity but it still hurt Betsy. "Yes. He is very hurt and angry and he is turning to those he has always turned to. I do not begrudge it."  
  
"Sorry 'gain. None o' my business."  
  
"Trust is a two way street. I can not honestly expect you to open up to me if I do not reciprocate."  
  
"Remy didn' min' so much, comin' down here. Hurts dem less when 'm not aroun'. Wouldn' even be here if..."  
  
"If what?"  
  
"No ot'er place to go. Burn too many bridges and de one's still standing, don't wanna walk dem no more. 'S like N'Awlins. Knew I was banished but couldn' stay away. 'S where I met Stormy, one o' my secret trips inta there. N'Awlins was home, jus' couldn' stay away. But, now dat Belle's gone, N'Awlins hurt too much, too many memories, so dis is on'y home Remy got. Jus' can't stay away."  
  
"What about your family?"  
  
"Non, if Jean-Luc or Tante eve' fin' out I been in N'Awlins, de hafta kill me. 'S an honor t'ing an' 'm not gonna put dem in that situation."  
  
A heavy silence fell over the kitchen, making the air too oppressive to tolerate. "We have got to get out of here for awhile."  
  
Remy amiled in relief. "Bien, where you wanna go?"  
  
"What do you usually do for fun?"  
  
He smiled at her in amusement. "Ami, Remy don' t'ink it'd be you t'ing."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Like ridin' ma bike, playin pool, takin' de pigeon's money."  
  
"Alright."  
  
His eyes opened wide in surprise once again. Though Betsy's clothes were usually as tight as they were stylish, he had never thought of her as less than prim and proper. It was amazing to him that she offer to tag along. Then he smiled. Actually, it would be fun to watch her deal with a rough crowd, and he could do with some fun right now.  
  
"Well, c'mon. Le's get goin' den." He stood up and held out a hand to help her up. They headed to the mansion, sticking to the back paths once again so as not to meet up with anyone.  
  
Walking into the garage, Remy immediately mounted his bike and then smiled at her, waiting to see what she would do. She smiled back and, without hesitation, she settled herself behind him, wrapping her arms loosely around his waist. Trying to cover up his surprise, Remy quickly started the bike and they were quickly flying over the roads at highly illegal speeds. 


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note  
  
Just some replies to my reviewers to show my appreciation.  
  
MagnusXXN - Trust me, Remy is not going to hide out and take everything lying down forever. I like him too much for that.  
  
DedRedHed - I hear and try to obey. By the way, yes I hate Jean. I hate her in the comics, the cartoons, and the movies. How could you tell? ;-)  
  
Funny thing is, though, I liked Madelyne. Go figure.  
  
GelliBean - Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you like my characterizations.  
  
Nari1 - I'm glad you like my writing. It mean's a lot to me. I am planning for Rogue to show up in here eventually. However, she's not going to be written any nicer than Jean. Fair warning to Rogue fans.  
  
samson - I'm glad you like the pace. That was one reason it took me so long to even start this. The two of them have almost no interaction in the comics so I had to think of a situation for them to even be talking.  
  
Ethix - Thank you. I've never seen a Remy/Betsy story either but I'm a fan of both and they're both gorgeous, so...here we are.  
  
Xx-disturbed-xX - I'm beginning to think you're my biggest fan. Cool. Thank you for the encouragement.  
  
Missmishka - All I can say is patience is a good thing. (Unless I'm the one that has to be patient) There will be smut.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - Gee, how'd you get the idea I don't like that nice stuck-up Angel? Could it be the fact Betsy ends up dumping him when I write? ;-)  
  
To tell the truth, I'm not real fond of any of the original five X-men. Probably not much of a surprise to anyone.  
  
Ok, mail call's over, here's the real reason you clicked on this link:  
  
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Chapter Seven  
  
Betsy smiled in pleasure as the wind blew through her hair, the roadside passing at breakneck speeds. It reminded her of when she was younger, when her older brother, Jamie, would take her out for spins in his latest overpriced, built for speed toy. He would place her on his lap and work the accelerator and clutch while she steered, tearing up back English roads at speeds well over 100. She missed those days. She missed Jamie. Unfortunately, he had disappeared into Africa while she was still in school, before Slaymaster, Mojo, even before her twin, Brian, took the title Captain Britain.  
  
She stopped that line of thought immediately. Now was not the time to think about such things. She was supposed to be helping Remy, not mourning her own past. Giving herself a mental shake, she returned her attention to enjoying the ride, still smiling as he pulled to a stop in front of an old, dusty building.  
  
There was a wide assortment of vehicles in front, ranging from trucks to bikes, though none of them as expensive as Remy's. Parking off to the side, he waited for her to slide off the bike before dismounting confidently and taking on a role as easily as others pull on a comfortable coat. Gone was the unsure and broken X-man and in his place stood an overconfident rich boy.  
  
Betsy mentally laughed as she lay her hand on his proffered arm. She had wondered how he was going to run a con with her present. After all, usually the trick to this kind of con was to look down on your luck and harmless. In his tight, worn clothes, Remy could have pulled it off alone but it would have been impossible with her on his arm. Although Betsy had not dressed up, she had not dressed down either. Her clothes were stylish and hand tailored to fit her exactly, obviously expensive. Therefore, the usual was most definitely out.  
  
Instead, Remy led her towards the entrance wearing an extremely arrogant expression and carrying an air of superiority which more than offset his clothing and Betsy picked up on his ploy quickly. Instead of playing the down-on-his-luck hustler wooing the fat pigeons in by playing backward and dumb, Remy was going in as an overconfident rich boy, just a ripe pigeon for the plucking. It was a role certain to draw out the hustlers who would be quite surprised at finding themselves hustled, if all went to plan.  
  
Smiling in anticipation of the coming entertainment, Betsy fell into a role complimentary to the slumming rich boy role Remy had donned. She smiled up at him with an admiring but decidedly vacant stare, while looking down her nose at anything else her gaze fell on. From the looks they were receiving, it would not take long before they were approached by a thug looking for trouble or a pool shark looking for money.  
  
Sure enough, a small man with a long nose and short spiky hair quickly approached and tried to subtly strike up a conversation with Remy while discreetly looking Betsy over. He failed at both subtle and discreet but it did not matter. He was just the type the two of them had been looking for so Betsy pretended to be oblivious to the man's leers while Remy let himself be 'lured' into a game of pool.  
  
She could not help giving him a sharp stare as he spoke. His manner of speech, posture, even his walk had changed to match the role he was playing. He still had his accent but it was nowhere near as thick as usual, nor did he refer to himself in the third person. The changes were so subtle yet so thorough, that Betsy began to wonder if she would even have recognized him if she had not come in with him.  
  
He noticed her surprised look as they began to follow the man to the pool table and smiled at her bemusedly. However, there was a definite spark of mischief and laughter deep in his eyes when he kissed her hand, looking up at her over his dark sunglasses... "Do not worry, chere, I will simply beat this individual in a few games. We will still make our appointment for dinner at your pere's club."  
  
Remy was laughing at her. She knew it but did not mind. It was nice to see his unique eyes come alive again. They had been so dead that morning in the danger room, she had honestly been afraid for his life. Quickly pasting an overly bright but somewhat vacant smile on her face, she quickly resumed her role. "I hope so. You still have to change your clothes and Daddy will be so upset if we're late. You know how he frets, why if he knew you had brought me here..." She peered around her disdainfully once again.  
  
"But, chere, think of the story you can tell your friends. I'm sure Feffie never went to a place like this."  
  
Betsy noticed that the more he spoke, the more he sounded French while she was sounding more and more like a simpering debutante and she smiled, enjoying the game. Painting a look of exaggerated dismay on her face, she looked at the dusty seats near the table. Remy responded by gallantly draping his trench coat over one of the chairs for her and Betsy perched on the very edge, her expression changing to bored as she pretended to examine her fingernails.  
  
In reality, Betsy meant to keep an eye on the people around the table. Men like the one Remy was playing against sometimes had muscle to back them up. Even if Remy's pigeon did not have any back up, the roles the two of them were playing were synonymous with target in this situation. It would not be surprising if some bully boy decided to horn in and cause problems. Of course, the potential for danger was part of the fun.  
  
The first three games went the expected route. Remy won inexpertly as both he and his opponent worked to hide their skill. It was all part of the game. If the shark showed his skill too early, he believed he would scare Remy off. This left Remy in a doubly difficult position. If he showed his own skill, he would scare the shark off, plus he had to gauge just how much skill the other man was hiding. It was an interesting game of bluffing and skill and soon Betsy forgot to watch out for trouble as she became enthralled in the mental game in front of her.  
  
Before the fourth game, Remy played the time card. He announced that he had to leave to make their appointment. The shark reacted in traditional fashion, appealing to fair play that Remy should give him one more chance to get his money back. Remy countered that there was no point. The shark would lose as he had already done three times and there was no challenge in it. The small man leaped on the statement, offering to double the bet and phrasing it as a challenge that Remy could not back down from without being though less of by the gathered men. The Cajun responded with, of course, outrage and taking great insult at the turn of phrase before he angrily demanded the table be set up again then turned to Betsy.  
  
"Don't worry, chere, we'll still get to your pere's club on time. This won't take long."  
  
Betsy sighed and rolled her eyes as expected and she thought for a moment that she felt him laughing inside her mind. The moment passed quickly and Betsy did not have time to consider it as the next game started. This game was more mentally intense than the previous ones. The mind games continued as the shark revealed his skill and Remy worked to keep his own skill still hidden. He played at being angry and frustrated without seeming outraged while the shark became more arrogant as he finished off the table and gathered his newly won money.  
  
Now for the endgame. Remy had to lure the shark in for one more game to finish this off. He acted frustrated and angry, trying to provoke a game but not a fight. It was a fine line to walk. The insults had to be carefully chosen to push the other man into anger but not fury. The bet was also upped until it became triple the previous amount and this too was part of the mind games. If Remy tried to up it too soon, the man would laugh and leave but if he went to slow, he cheated himself out of winnings.  
  
It took several minutes but the small man finally agreed to a fifth game, laughing confidently and already mentally spending his anticipated wealth. At least he did until Remy ran the table, winning in record time and scooping up the money. His pigeon quickly realized he had been played and she could sense the shark's mind becoming angry and violent. That was a cue for them to make a quick exit so Betsy immediately handed Remy his coat. The thief donned it just as quickly, secreting the money in one of its many pockets before taking her arm. With a quick, "Bon nuit 'nd t'anks for de game," they headed for the door.  
  
It turned out that Betsy had been right earlier and the shark did use back up because two large muscle bound thugs moved to block their. A crowd quickly gathered to watch how the lean, fake rich-boy was going to get past the large gorillas while Remy moved to square off against them, moving in front of Betsy. The maneuver was gallant but somewhat insulting. She did not need protection so she hissed, "I can look after myself."  
  
"Oui, so can Remy. But, we don't know notin' 'bout fightin' toget'er. Just get in de ot'er's way. Remy take de gorillas, you take der little ami, 'nd we get outta here." He took his eyes off his approaching opponents long enough to flash her another grin. "'Sides, t'ought dis was to cheer Remy up so why you tryin' to get in on his fun?"  
  
No more was said as Remy launched himself at his two opponents, catching the larger one in the jaw with a jump kick. Spinning as he landed, Remy caught the other one in the throat with a ridge hand before launching a side kick into the first man's knee. The joint broke under the assault causing the thug to fall to the ground. The second man was still stnading but slightly bent over, trying to breathe, when Remy laid him out with an uppercut.  
  
The small man they had played pool with pushed back Betsy, trying to bring a gun to bear on the quickly moving Cajun. Betsy grabbed the outstretched arm and painfully twisted it behind the shark's back. Pulling the wrist higher, she made him release the pistol then used it to pistol whip the man across the back of his head, causing him to slump to the ground unconscious. Running out of the bar, the two of them quickly mounted Remy's bike and, within moments, they were roaring down the highway at break neck speeds.  
  
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AN-The name Feffie above is not made up. I knew someone whose parents actually gave her that nickname. It just seemed perfect for the section so I used it. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight  
  
About a half hour later, with the bar far behind them, Remy pulled over to the side of the road and looked over his shoulder at Betsy. "Where ya wanna go?"  
  
"Hmmm? I thought we were supposed to be doing what you wanted to do."  
  
"We did. But, Remy gotta t'ank you. Wouldn' worked so bien if de homme 'adn't been starin' at you so much. You played your part perfect."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"So, m'ami, where to?"  
  
"Dinner. We skipped lunch and I, for one, am hungry."  
  
His smile faltered and he dropped his gaze. "Pardon. Forgot de time."  
  
"Well, so did I. I was having too much fun to notice." She was very concerned when he still would not look at her. A few moments ago, when he had been laughing, he was so much like the old Remy that it was easy to forget just how broken he actually was. However, it took only a moment for the realization to come rushing back and Betsy immediately tried to find out what had happened. "Remy, what is wrong? Did I say something to hurt you?"  
  
"Remy get you dinner, den...den, he tell ya." Turning his focus forward once more, Remy took off at a much slower speed and the tension in his body transmitted itself up Betsy's arms, making her even more concerned since he had been relaxed earlier. Reviewing thier conversation, she to fugure out what had caused this butit was a useless endeavor. The entire conversation had been innocent yet even the most innocent of statements could cut in the right circumstances. She would have to wait until he told her.  
  
They pulled up in front of the cafe she had taken him to the previous night and he looked back at her nervously. "Y'mind eatin' here? 'S a nice place."  
  
"Actually, it is one of my favorite places. I find its atmosphere soothing."  
  
He offered her his arm once again and, once agan, she did not hesitate to take it. They were seated immediately and Betsy was amused by the server's curious glances. The British woman did not need her telepathy to know what the girl was thinking. They were a very mismatched pair without Remy playing the role of slumming rich boy. His long hair was pulled back in a windblown ponytail and his worn trench coat and fingerless gloves made him look very disreputable particularly in juxtaposition with Betsy's artfully applied make up and expensive, hand tailored designer outfit. It was tempting to take a peek inside the woman's mind to find out what she thought the relationship between the two of them was, but Betsy had more important concerns. She did not want to be distracted when Remy finally explained what had happened earlier.  
  
They ordered quickly and were once again silent through the meal but it was not an overly awkward silence nor was it comfortable. It was the calm before the storm because, though Remy had promised to explain, neither one looked forward to it. It wouldbe difficult for Remy to tell and probably difficult for Betsy to hear. After all, she had been at the trial. She had seen what had happened, turned her back like the others, left him just like the others. She was as guilty as the others so seeing his pain was not an easy thing for her. However, doing the easy things was not going to make any of this right again, particularly that was what started this whole mess to begin with.  
  
They were sitting on the patio drinking their after dinner coffee and watching the sunset when Remy, hesitantly, began. "Don' get 'ungry no more. Know 'm supposed ta eat and do, when I 'member but...dat's not too often. Dis mornin', Remy lied to ya. Wasn' gonna eat breakfast, but you show up 'nd Remy 'membered, ya supposed ta eat in de mornin'."  
  
"Was it always like that?"  
  
"Non. Jus' since...since de ice. Starved down dere 'nd m'mind tried to 'scape. Don' t'ink 'bout food, don' realize 'ow long it's been. Shouldn' 'ave ta do dat now but m'mind's not cooperatin'." His lips curled into something that was half a mocking smile and half a snarl. "Maybe, it t'inks Remy still dere in de cold. Dis all jus' a dream to make dyin' easier. Maybe, it's right."  
  
Betsy's eyes burned at his words. "No, if this was a dream, I think your mind would pick a more suitable comforter."  
  
He snorted. "Like who?"  
  
"Rogue." The name was out before she could stop it and she desperately tried to mitigate the pain by quickly adding, "Or Logan, maybe Jubilee." It did not work.  
  
"Non, mind wouldn' pick her as comforter." His eyes were closed and his head was bowed. He seemed almost to curl up on himself. "Neva' 'gain. When she lef'..." Remy seemed to shake himself free of his thoughts before he turned and looked at her. The bleak pain in those eyes tore at her. "Remy lied to you 'nother time. Not just easy for dem wit' me at de boat house. Easy for me. Don' have to see 'er. Don' 'ave to remind m'self not to 'urt 'er or curse her or beg 'er to...or anyt'ing. When de femme 'round, Remy hurts and 'e hates 'nd 'e wants...'nother chance sometimes...but...mos' times...wanna 'urt 'er. You t'ink Remy's bad 'cause a' dat?"  
  
His eyes bored into hers, demanding an answer or judgement, something, and she reached out, laying a hand on his. "No, I do not think you are bad because you feel like that. I think you are a man who has been hurt very badly and is trying to work through it."  
  
Remy's gaze fell to her hand and he stared at it for several moments, with an unreadable expression. Betsy did not move. Eventually, his other hand came up and lightly traced the back of her fingers. "Ange a lucky homme, he know dat?" They were silent for a few more moments before Remy suddenly stood up. "It gettin' late. Gotta get you 'ome." Betsy nodded, unable to speak around the tightness of her throat.  
  
The ride home was uneventful and more relaxed than earlier, for which Betsy was glad. Remy cut off the motor as soon as they were parked once again in the mansion's garage and quickly turned to leave. Today had been a good day and he was not anxious to spoil it by causing problems for Betsy. He gave her a small wave before disappearing into the night, heading for the boat house.  
  
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AN: Short chapter, I know, but it seemed like such a perfect chapter ending, I couldn't bear to add more. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
Betsy stepped out of the garage and into the dark hallway, back tensing at the presence she felt waiting for her. "Hello, Ororo."  
  
The white haired mutant stepped silently out of the shadows. "Hello, Elizabeth."  
  
The two regal woman silently regarded each other for several minutes. Finally, Ororo broke the stillness with the question, "How is he?"  
  
Several answers raced through Betsy's head ranging from cruelly sarcastic to gently comforting. She said none of them. Instead, she silently considered what answer would benefit Remy the most. This woman was his first and closest friend among the X-men. Her rejection of him was one of the most painful blows he had received, perhaps even more painful than Rogue's abandonment. It would be so easy to rail at the woman for turning her back on the man she had called brother and it would be just as easy to reassure her that he was fine and let her retreat. However, neither of those would help Remy or Ororo and the African mutant was suffering too, of that there was not doubt. The constant storms were ample proof of it.  
  
Ororo remained silent and unmoving, not impatiently demanding an answer or giving up on receiving one. It seemed that she understood how difficult the question was for Betsy to answer, perhaps because, whatever the answer, it would be difficult for her to hear. However, she remained, determined to accept whatever information Betsy gave her. It was because of this that Betsy made her choice. "He is coping."  
  
The other woman nodded, understanding what was left unsaid in that simple statement. Remy was not well, but not yet in danger of being lost forever. More time passed in awkward silence. "I can not..."  
  
Again, much was left unsaid and, again, it was understood. Ororo worried for the Cajun, still loved him but there was too much pain, confusion, anger in her to be there for him, despite the fact he needed her. Betsy was not close to the regal woman but she answered reassuringly, promising, "I can and I will."  
  
"Thank you." On that soft note, the moment was over and Ororo silently turned and left.  
  
Betsy waited several minutes to allow Ororo to retreat to her room in privacy before she resumed walking through the darkened mansion toward her room. Reaching the stairs, she met Logan on his way down for an evening beer. They nodded in greeting and would have simply continued on their individual ways when he stopped as he came even. Grabbing her arm firmly, he forced her to pause while he breathed deeply, eyes silently curious.  
  
Betsy raised an elegant eyebrow, silently challenging him to voice his questions. For a moment it looked like he was about to but he breathed in deeply once again and his eyes narrowed before glancing at the top of the stairs. Betsy's gaze followed his but her psionics had already told her who it was. Warren was a harsh presence to her mind as he stood on the next landing, staring down at the two of them, face set and angry.  
  
"Wanna join me for a beer?"  
  
Betsy smiled in appreciation at the offer, but shook her head, gently declining.  
  
Logan glanced up at Warren once again. "Ya sure ya know what you're doin'?"  
  
"To a point."  
  
The feral mutant nodded and continued down the stairs. Betsy smiled fondly at her old friend. It was one of his better qualities. If you asked for his opinion he would give it but he was the first to admit he had no right to dictate another's life. He was one of the least judgmental people she had ever known. Perhaps it was because he was used to being judged too harshly and incorrectly. Whatever the reason, Betsy truly appreciated his discretion, even though she knew he would want an explanation later.  
  
Continuing up the stairs, Betsy gave Warren a soft kiss in greeting that he did not return.  
  
"Where have you been all day? I though we were supposed to discuss what happened last night but you just disappeared after practice when I came looking for you."  
  
Betsy's eyes narrowed at his tone. "We were supposed to discuss it when we were both calm and rested. Neither of us was calm after that scene in the Danger Room. In fact, I highly doubt either of us is calm now."  
  
"I would be calm if you had not developed the habit of disappearing without reason."  
  
"Habit? I have gone out twice, that is hardly a 'habit'. In addition, there was a reason for my disappearance today: I was helping a friend who is going through a very rough time."  
  
"What about me?" Warren's voice was rising and part of Betsy's mind wondered how long it would be until they had an audience. That would be just what they needed.  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'm going through my own rough time and you just decide to disappear! Thank you so much for caring." Betsy's anger burned at the sarcasm in his statement.  
  
"That is entirely unjustified. I have been here for you since this all began but you have made it abundantly clear that you do not need my help."  
  
"How can you say that? Of course I need you to be here for me."  
  
"Really?" Betsy raised an eyebrow in sarcasm to match her tone. "Be realistic, Warren, you have been spending all your waking hours with Jean, Bobby, and Rogue. It is them you are receiving comfort from and I think I have been very understanding about it. I have not complained when you have disappeared for hours on end with them nor have I said anything when you have canceled dates with me because one of you needs comfort from the others. Personally, I was glad that you were receiving help. However, I do not intend to sit around doing nothing until you call. I have a life and other concerns than just you."  
  
Betsy could hear the audience slowly assembling but was too outraged to really care and Warren did not seem to even notice the gathering people.  
  
"So, I'm nothing to you is that it?" Warren was now yelling.  
  
"I never said that."  
  
"But, it's what you meant, isn't it?" Jean's voice cut through the hallway as she walked over and put an arm around the winged man. "He's going through a tough time right now and you should be more understanding and supportive. Warren has a right to be angry. After all, the man responsible for him losing his wings is living on the grounds and he has to deal with that daily."  
  
Betsy suppressed the urge to scream. Instead, she smiled sweetly as she replied, "Exactly when did Hodge move onto the grounds or have Harpoon and Blockbuster moved into the basement?"  
  
Warren looked at her in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Well, Harpoon and Blockbuster were the ones who damaged your wings and Hodge is the one who ordered them amputated. Therefore, those are the men responsible for the loss. So, logically, Jean must be referring to one of them." Her statement earned her two sets of deadly glares. She smiled back blandly. "As for your suffering, I know a lot more about it than you know and you would have found this out if you had ever bothered to come to me for comfort."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean," Jean demanded angrily.  
  
"I am not having this discussion with you." She returned her focus to Warren. "This is what I was talking about Warren. This should have been a private thing between us but you have not only allowed but practically invited others into it. You should have tried to find comfort in me, confided in me, let me confide in you."  
  
"Maybe if you were more trustworthy, he would have." Jean's spiteful words cut in once again.  
  
Betsy refused to look at the interloper. "Warren?"  
  
Warren leaned more fully into Jean's comforting arm while Rogue stepped over to the pair and wrapped her arm around him as well. "Don't worry, sugar, she just don't understand what that swamp rat's doin' to ya. She's too much of an ice queen."  
  
Betsy still focused on her boyfriend. "Warren?" It was a demand and question. The winged man said nothing as the two women comforted him. Betsy's eyes narrowed to cover the pain lying in them. "Very well." Turning, she strode to her room, back straight and head high, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.  
  
However, once inside her room, safe from other's sight, she curled up on her bed and let herself cry.  
  
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Author's note: The funny thing is, I was planning on Angel forbidding her to talk to Remy anymore, but the characters apparently had their own ideas and this is what happened. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
The next morning, Betsy walked down the stairs slowly, ignoring the howling storm outside. She was not sure what had sent Ororo into such a fury but it sounded like a party of banshees. Ignoring the sounds coming from the kitchen, she opened the front closet and wrapped a water proof coat around her before stepping out the front door. Stepping off the porch, she looked up at the awe inspiring sight of Ororo hovering in the midst of the tempest that declared the woman's confused and violent emotions to the world. Their eyes met for a moment and a bubble of calm air formed around her, though the fury of the storm did not abate. Betsy nodded in gratitude and continued to walk quickly to the boat house.  
  
It was important that she be there that morning for several reasons. The cold would not be doing Remy any good and he probably assumed the storm raging outside was because of him. Perhaps he thought Ororo had grown to fully hate him and was using the storm to try to drive him away. Another reason, though, was she needed someone. Last night had been painful and she needed a shoulder to cry on.  
  
She knew she could go to Logan but this seemed like a better idea. Like she had told Remy and Warren both, trust was a two way street. You could not expect another to open up and become vulnerable to you if you were not willing to do the same. Perhaps by going to Remy now, she would reassure him, prove that she was actually interested in being there for him. Maybe, it would help him, make him feel better just as helping him had made her feel better. There were many good reasons, including the fact that Betsy thought Remy would understand her heartache better than Logan.  
  
Reaching the door to the boat house, Betsy raised her hand to knock loudly but it was not necessary. The door opened before her hand met the wood and Remy stepped aside, inviting her inside. Entering quickly, she did not comment on the timing.  
  
He, apparently, felt a need to explain anyway. "Remy saw you comin' down de path. Was hopin' you'd come 'nd visit today. Stormy's in some mood." He shivered and she laid a hand on his shoulder. "'S cold."  
  
"Yes, it is. Can we sit on the couch? I need someone to talk to."  
  
Remy's eyes opened in equal parts surprise and concern as he lead her to the couch. Betsy curled up on one end, tucking her legs underneath her while he lounged on the other end. With a loud boom, sleet began to pelt the windows and a cold draft made them both shiver and Remy look out the window apprehensively, wrapping his arms around himself. There was an afghan over the back of the couch and Betsy unfolded it and tossed Remy one end while tucking the other end around her legs. The Cajun hesitated, staring at the blanket apprehensively but the sleet turned to hail as the temperature lowered once again causing him to slide over on the couch so he could share the afghan.  
  
Betsy's spirits lowered further. She had been right that the storm would be a problem for him and she almost wished she had asked Ororo to stop it. Unfortunately, that would have been betraying Remy's trust and that was not something she was willing to do. Looking up, she found him staring at her, concerned.  
  
"What is it, m'ami? What happen'?"  
  
"Warren and I had an argument last night, well, actually it was a continuation of a previous argument. It was public and Jean got involved, on his side, of course. Anyway, he and I are, apparently, through."  
  
Remy lay a comforting hand on hers. "Sorry t'hear dat. Dere anyt'ing Remy can do ta help?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Quoi?" (translation: What?)  
  
"Exactly what you are doing now."  
  
Remy nodded and then gently tugged her forward, wrapping her in a comforting hug. Betsy relaxed against his shoulder, taking comfort in the simple contact as she hugged him back. Rogue's words came back to her, hurting her once again. "Rogue took their side too. They called me an ice queen and Jean said I was untrustworthy. Most of the rest of the team was there and heard everything but said nothing, just watched it like it was some kind of show."  
  
"People good at dat when it don' concern dem."  
  
"Yes, you would know, wouldn't you?" He did not respond. He did not need to. "I just do not fully understand how the fight escalated to that point anyway. I thought I had been doing a good thing giving Warren his space. He accused me of not being there for him but I was, he just never came to me. He thinks I do not understand what he has been through but, apparently, Jean and the others can. That really hurt. It hurt more when he let Rogue and Jean say those things to me, never said a word in my defense."  
  
"Like you tol' me, 'e's too wrapped up in 'is own pain. Don' see what he doin' to you."  
  
They fell silent for a long time, sharing comfort and strength. Eventually, Remy spoke again, "Dey're wrong, y'know."  
  
Betsy nodded against his shoulder. "Yes, about a lot of things. Me. You."  
  
"'Ow you know de wrong 'bout me?"  
  
"How would I know they were right?"  
  
Remy had no answer.  
  
A crack of thunder caused Remy's body to tense and Betsy tightened her arms around his chest in comfort.  
  
"Stormy really have it in for someone t'day." His tone left no doubt that he assumed that someone to be himself.  
  
"She still cares for you but she is just confused and hurt. She asked me how you were doing last night." Betsy did not consider it a betrayal to tell him. She had not promised not to tell him and Ororo had not asked her to.  
  
Remy pulled back, his eyes filled with a painful mixture of hope and disbelief. "Stormy did?"  
  
"Yes, I told her only that you were coping."  
  
He nodded and allowed her to pull him back into the comforting embrace. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
The storm finally abated and the pair on the couch drew apart. Remy kept his eyes lowered, unsure of himself but Betsy kept a hand on his shoulder as she smiled. "Thank you."  
  
"Welcome."  
  
There were a few more minutes of awkward silence before Besty spoke again. "Did you eat breakfast this morning?"  
  
"Non, de storm come up and..."  
  
She gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze. "I thought that would be the case."  
  
His red on black eyes looked up from beneath his bangs. "You know Remy dat well, huh?"  
  
"No, not yet. However, I am working on it. Shall we go out to eat?"  
  
"Sound's bien."  
  
"Good, where..." She was interrupted by the phone ringing. They both looked at it curiously before Remy reached over to answer it.  
  
"Oui?" He listened for a few moments. "20 minutes. Got it. Oui, Remy will try." His eyes had darkened in annoyance as he hung up. "De fearless leader say de team got a workout in 20 minutes 'nd Remy betta' behave himself, startin' by bein' on time." Shaking his head in annoyance, he looked back at her. "You betta' get back up dere so you're not late."  
  
"No, I will wait for you to get your things and we can go up together."  
  
He gave her a rueful grin, "No more hiding, huh?"  
  
"There is no more reason to."  
  
"You don' know what you gettin' into. Was gonna wait t'tell ya 'cause Remy been enjoyin' havin' a frien' 'gain." He sighed. "Was gonna wait 'til I felt ready but 'm never gonna feel ready. Be unfair to you tho', gettin' you into my troubles wit'out you knowin' what ya gettin' into. T'day, go ta practice wit'out Remy, den, tonigh', we go somewhere else and Remy tell ya everyt'ing, ok?"  
  
Betsy nodded, confused and concerned. "Tonight, then." Standing up, she reluctantly exited the house and ran up to the mansion to get ready for practice.  
  
She arrived on time and thought it amusing that no one seemed curious as to how she had found out about the session when no one had told her. Remy was also on time, his eyes on the ground as he took his usual position away from the others leaning against a wall. The other's reactions were the same as yesterday. The only change being that Warren was pointedly ignoring her as well as glaring at the Cajun.  
  
She stood next to Logan who was smoking one of his cigars, enjoying the disapproving glares he received from Scott. Looking up at her with concerned eyes, he asked in a low voice, inaudible to the others, "So, it's over?"  
  
"Apparently."  
  
He was silent for a few moments as Scott and Ororo conferred about the rules for the session. "This about the Cajun?"  
  
"No. This is between Warren and I."  
  
"Good. He don't need more guilt."  
  
Betsy nodded, "I know."  
  
"You need anything..."  
  
"I will call."  
  
He grunted in response and they lapsed into comfortable silence. Betsy was glad for the support Logan gave her. Emotions and communication were not his strong suits, but he was steady and dependable. He was also very observant and he obviously knew she had been speaking to Remy, but was too polite to interfere.  
  
Today the teams would be sparring with each other and Betsy really had her doubts about Scott's wisdom. Warren and Jean were on the opposite team from Betsy and Remy and, after the very public altercations of the previous day, it did not seem a good idea to give the people involved such good shots at each other. There seemed a very dangerous gleam in Warren's eyes and where he led, she knew, Bobby would most likely follow. This was going to be much worse than yesterday.  
  
The signal to begin went off and the teams immediately squared off. Scott and Ororo, being team leaders sparred against each other and, as expected, Angel dove right at Remy, who immediately dodged. Jean tried to invade Betsy's mind and the British mutant immediately turned her attention on deflecting the attack and retaliating by bringing the redhead into hand to hand combat. Unsurprisingly, she was intercepted along the way by Hank who immediately moved to protect the woman while Scott, distracted by Jean's peril, found himself knocked to the side by Ororo who turned her attention next to Rogue.  
  
A well-placed side kick from Betsy knocked the breath out of her large opponent and allowed her to reach Jean and attack with her psychic knife before Jean could defend with telekinesis. Betsy turned to the battle and noticed that Scott had rejoined the fray, giving her a glare due to Jean's limp body on the floor at Betsy's feet. The ninja turned away in annoyance. What did he expect? Was she to throw the fight so his precious girlfriend did not get hurt? Looking around, she noticed Warren was trying to force Remy to dodge into areas where Bobby could get a free shot and Betsy felt a rising level of panic that did not feel completely like her own.  
  
Betsy moved to go to his aid but was sidetracked once again by Hank, barely dodging a shoulder block guaranteed to have broken several ribs if it had connected. Although she had superior fighting skills, he had the muscle to be able to withstand her strongest strikes while she had to be careful to avoid even a glancing blow. Melting ice coated most of the Danger Room making footing slippery, but Betsy managed to keep her balance until a spike of fear and pain hit her shields, distracting her like someone yelling unexpectedly in her ear and causing her to miss a step, crashing to the ground. Hank immediately moved to take advantage of the situation but instead found him self pulled back by Logan, who smiled and tapped him on the nose, "You're out, Blue."  
  
Betsy did not spare the humorous situation a glance as she immediately looked to check on Remy. He was on the ground, ice coating one leg and arm, his free arm curled against his body as if in pain.  
  
She could not read Bobby's expression, but Warren's smile as he walked forward was not pleasant. Neither was the satisfied look in Rogue's eyes as she hovered nearby and Betsy was hoping the nasty suspicion that flashed in her mind was not true. Quickly regaining her feet, she moved to go to his aid, Logan right beside her, when lightening bolts flashed around the prone body, knocking the Rogue, Bobby, and Warren back then gale force winds pushed them away even farther as Ororo hovered near the ceiling, lightening literally flashing from her eyes.  
  
Neither Betsy nor Logan hesitated. They ran to Remy's side, the winds making way for them while keeping the others at bay. Reaching the fallen Cajun, Logan retracted all his claws except one and carefully began cutting the ice away from his body while Betsy checked for other injuries. Seeing he was coherent, she took a deep breath, straining to seem calm as she asked what happened.  
  
Remy shook his head. "Not here." His gaze was on the floor, his face a bland mask, refusing to show any pain, emotional or physical.  
  
Betsy decided not to argue, even though it seemed as if she could feel rage rolling off him in waves. Instead, she asked if he hurt anywhere other than his free shoulder which was bruised but unbroken.  
  
"Non."  
  
Logan finished cutting the ice away that had been holding him and, together, they helped the Cajun regain his feet. He took a minute to steady himself before giving them both a grateful smile. "Merci, mes amis."  
  
The two nodded and let go of him but did not step away. They could barely hear Scott shouting at Ororo over the winds surrounding, but that did not matter to the three of them. Instead they stood, wary and still, as the winds died and Ororo once again stood on the ground again. They knew another storm was coming. 


	12. Chapter 12

Mail Call  
  
sapphireskies - Thanks for the review. I try to stay fairly true to canon.  
  
MagnusXXN - I love your reviews. You make sure I keep things straight.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - Thanks to a fellow Jean hater for a wonderful pic of Remy and Betsy. Wish I could post it but I'm not subscribed to the support services. By the way, recognize Betsy's car? ;-)  
  
Marissa - Storm's just working through a few things right now but once she does, duck!  
  
Ethix101 - Probably won't be the fireworks you were expecting, but the battle lines are being drawn. Trust me, there'll be some later.  
  
**************************************  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Scott glared around at the mutants standing nearby who were, in turn, glaring at each other. "Ok, what happened here?"  
  
Several people began to speak at once but were cut off by Storm's authoritatively stating, "I will tell you, Scott. What happened is the animosities on this team have run unchecked and ignored too long. What happened is that we have sunk so low into our own pain and own interests that we can no longer be relied on to protect our own." Her eyes were still glazed over in fury as she looked over at Rogue.  
  
The southern belle glared back. "Ya got somethin' y'want ta say ta me, sugah?"  
  
"I want nothing whatsoever to do with you, much less to speak to you." Contempt dripped from the words.  
  
Warren immediately came to Rogue's defense. "Hey, it's not like anyone wants the traitor here..."  
  
His next words were cut off by an angry growl of a voice, "I ain't a traitor." Everyone turned to Remy, surprised at his defense of himself. "Didn't know de X-men most a m' life an' when I did, neva' betrayed ya."  
  
Scott tried to regain control of the situation even as he grabbed one of Warren's arms to restrain the winged mutant from charging at the Cajun. "Everyone calm down. This isn't getting us anywhere."  
  
Storm nodded her agreement. "Besides, it is not the point. The point is that Rogue can not be trusted..."  
  
She was cut off in mid-sentence by Rogue's outraged voice, "What do ya mean ah can't be trusted. Ah neva' betrayed anyone like him! Neva' hurt no one like he did!"  
  
"Carol Danvers." Wolverine said the two words as if they were an accusation and explanation in themselves. Apparently, to some, they were.  
  
"That was an acciden' an' you know it!" Rogue's voice started to rise into a shriek of indignation and Besty could see fear in her eyes.  
  
She made a mental note to check up on this later. "The fact is, Rogue, you attacked your teammate from behind and left him vulnerable to opponents." It made Betsy sick to say those words, but, due to Ororo's reactions, she was sure it was the truth.  
  
"People," Scott tried once again to gain control of the growing animosity, "This needs to stop..."  
  
"Damn right this needs to stop." Warren lunged at Remy but was brought up short once again by Scott's hold on his arm.  
  
Betsy formed her psychic knife while Remy prepared to charge a card and Logan extended his claws making themselves ready and waiting for an attack. Ororo, however, seemed ready to take the fight back to Warren. Winds whipped around her, lifting her hair while lightening fairly crackled from her fingertips.  
  
Warren met her white eyes with a fierce but confused gaze. "Why are you taking his side? He fucking murdered the Morlocks, your people. He found Harpoon who almost killed Kitty or have you forgotten that?"  
  
A look of pain crossed Ororo's face but she did not back down. "Regardless of what happened, regardless of what he may or may not be guilty of, it is wrong to attack a teammate. It is a betrayal in itself. I will not tolerate it any longer, particularly from a member of my own team."  
  
"We were supposed to spar," Warren spat out defensively.  
  
"Yes, spar, not intentionally try to injure. However, that does not matter. The practice ended, making us all teammates once again. You have tried to attack Remy twice since then. If you make a third attempt, you will regret it."  
  
"Ok, people I think tempers are running too high right now. Let's all get out of here and calm down. We'll discuss it all later." Scott was hoping to defuse the situation but no one made a move toward the door. "That's an order people!"  
  
Still no one moved, the only sound the doors of the Danger Room opening as Professor Xavier entered and added his voice to Scott's. "He is correct. Everyone please separate while Ororo, Scott, and I discuss what is to be done about this situation."  
  
Bobby grabbed a hold of Warren's arm. "C'mon, let's get out of here. They're not worth the time."  
  
Hank added his voice to Bobby's as he laid a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "Yes, let us go somewhere and relax."  
  
Warren said nothing but was eventually maneuvered into leaving the room with his two oldest friends. Rogue gave the three of them a glare and took a step nearer. Betsy returned the glare and raised her knife into a more combat ready poise. The southern belle responded with a sneer and then a cruel smile, as if she had realized something that would benefit herself at the expense of another. Turning, she hurried after Warren. Scott and Jean accompanied the Professor out of the room and Ororo followed, carefully avoiding looking anywhere near Remy's direction. The three remaining X-men relaxed once they were alone and Logan immediately lit up a cigar.  
  
"This ain't over."  
  
Betsy nodded her agreement with the Canadian mutant, as did Remy. He stared at the floor, giving his own opinion. "Maybe it be better if Remy leave."  
  
His two companions immediately opened their mouths to protest but it was Betsy who spoke first. "You can not leave yet. There is still your earlier promise."  
  
Logan nodded, not knowing what she was referring to, but giving her his full support. "Hey, a promise is a promise. Ya better keep it with this one." He pointed at the smiling telepath.  
  
"Yes, plus we were supposed to get breakfast and I am famished."  
  
Remy held up his hands in surrender, giving a small laugh. "Ok, Remy give up. He know he can' win 'gainst two stubborn people like ya."  
  
Logan gave him a hard pat on the shoulder. "Naw, she's stubborn, I'm hard headed. You kids go have fun, I'm gonna keep an eye on the place."  
  
Betsy smiled after the departing mutant before turning back to Remy. "Hurry up and get dressed and we will go. I am not going to try to eat in this place."  
  
He nodded and in a very short time, they were racing toward the city in Betsy's silver BMW. They were silent, as usual, and tense. Both of them sensed today was a milestone.  
  
Either Betsy would keep her promise to listen nonjudgemently and be there for him or she would break him. Remy shivered in more fear than hope. What would he do if this went wrong? But maybe, maybe, it would go right for him, just this once. There was hope, after all, Stormy had helped him. She still would not look at him but she had helped him. And Betsy...Betsy had kept her promise, so far, started breaking through his defenses and that's why he had to do this, had to tell her before it went any farther. After today, she would have the power to break him, easily, but he had to do this. He could not let her allow a friendship with him to hurt her relationships with the other X-men. Not without knowing exactly what she was getting into, without being able to decide realistically if he was worth it.  
  
And what would he do if she decided he was not worth her time?  
  
The car slowed, breaking him from his thoughts and he was surprised to find them pulling into the Waldorf hotel. Saying nothing, he followed her inside after she turned her car over to the valet. The desk clerk smiled at her approach; after all, she looked exactly like she belonged in this finery, a far cry from himself in his comfortable but battered trench coat.  
  
The man eyed Remy's disreputable appearance disdainfully but was too well trained, not to mention paid, to keep his opinion of guest's companions to himself.  
  
Betsy gave an order for a simple breakfast to be delivered right away before taking her key and wrapping her arm through Remy's as they walked to the elevator. Inside, Remy leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and concentrating on ignoring the others around him but he was tired and his nerves were too frayed to completely ignore the negative feelings around him.  
  
He could sense Betsy staring at him in concern and he held to it tightly. The elevator finally reached their floor and the two of them exited, making their way quickly to their assigned room.  
  
Betsy opened the door hurriedly and watched in worry as Remy gracelessly fell into chair, taking off his sunglasses so he could massage his temples. He declined aspirin when she offered it and breakfast when it arrived. "Would rat'er get dis done."  
  
Betsy sat on the couch near his chair, silently waiting for him to continue.  
  
He glanced at her through slitted eyes, wincing at the bright sunlight and Betsy was about to stand up to close the blinds when his voice stopped her.  
  
"Non, need ta get dis done, jus' don't know where to begin."  
  
"How about Sinister and the Marauders?"  
  
His smile became self-mocking. "Non, dat's not de beginnin', have to tell you somet'in' else t' get t' there." He sighed and took several deep breathes, refusing to look at her. "Remy's an empath."  
  
Betsy's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"  
  
"An empath 'nd dat's where he get in so much trouble. Remy been aroun' t'ieves most o' his life and t'ieves are a controlled bunch. De laugh and de joke but y'never let emotions get de best o' you. So, de empathy was neva' a problem 'til Remy got exiled. Felt so 'lone, before Remy knew it, he reachin' out to anyone to give him comfor' and his empathy reachin' out for de emotions, used 'em t' make ot'ers feel good so de stay, used 'em t' make me feel better. But, de get outta hand, kinetic's start getting outta cont'ol too. I start lookin' for someone ta help but can' go to a known physician. Meet up wit' Sinister 'nd he say he can help.  
  
"At de time, didn' see why not. Remy a t'ief 'nd hurtin', Sinister a back alley doctor. No big deal. 'Sides, it relaxin' t'be 'round him. No emotions t' overpower me. He do somet'in' 'nd it's all under control 'gain. Sinister wants paymen' but 'e don' wan' money, 'e got enough. He wan's DNA. Leas' dat's what he says. Can' get a reading off 'im but I don' know. Don' know why I did it. Didn' know den, don' know now. De instan' he bring me 'round de Marauders Remy should'a known, should'a been able to read but...Remy couldn' and for some reason, it not bot'er Remy. Couldn' 'splain it den, can' now. It like Remy was asleep, gone dumb for awhile. Led 'em down into de tunnels, down to de Morlocks 'nd when de killin' start, Remy wakes up. 'M a t'ief, not a killer, try t'stop it but powers were lower den' Remy expected and Sabretooth bigger 'nd badder. He cut me up 'fore I got through a tunnel. Guess he don' t'ink I'm wort' huntin', cause he doesn' try to dig me out.  
  
"Found a kid down dere. Marrow. I get her out but when we get topside, bot' o' us end up in de 'ospital. By de time Remy get outta dere, 's over. De Morlocks dead 'nd Sinister jus' disappeared."  
  
Betsy wanted to reach out and laid a hand on his arm but he did not seem to notice.  
  
"Foun' out later, m' powers not as low as I t'ought. De Morlocks, der pain and der fear, de emotions live on in m'head. Dat's why Rogue leave me. She heard dem when we kissed 'nd dey..."  
  
"No." Betsy's throat was dry and ached with unshed tears. "Do not make excuses for her. She has had the minds of much worse than you inside her head and she has not gone insane."  
  
"De weren' her friend."  
  
"Oh, really? Rogue has absorbed Mystique. That woman has quite a lot of blood on her hands and raised Rogue but that has never driven Rogue to do to her what was done to you." Standing up, she moved to sit on the arm of his chair and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.  
  
He immediately turned, wrapping his arms around her desperately, resting his head against her shoulder. She held him tightly and stroked his hair in comfort, silently crying the tears he could not. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
Betsy continued to hold Remy for a long time. She did not ask why he had never told the others any of this when they had first arrived, after all, who did not have secrets on the X-men, mistakes in their past they wanted to forget. The X-men did not know the story behind her encounters with Slaymaster and Mojo. They never seemed to realize what it meant to owe her sight to a monster who had ripped her soul out and tried to remold it. She still shivered when she remembered how Slaymaster had defeated her in her first 'Superhero fight'.  
  
Remy felt the tremor and quickly tried to retreat misinterpreting it for disgust. Betsy only tightened her hold and continued to stroke his hair, focusing on her concern for him, and he soon relaxed against him.  
  
"Why?" His voice was muffled and low. If the room had not been so silent, she would have missed them.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You not mad at Remy."  
  
"No." She did not ask why he thought she would be. The answers were much too obvious.  
  
"Don' understand."  
  
"When I was young, I always wanted to be a hero, a war ace or a superhero. My twin brother, Captain Britain, retired for awhile, and I could not understand why but I saw it as my chance. At the time, a woman named Captain UK was around. She was me from an alternate time line but had Brian's powers. She was what I wanted to be and I asked her to help me. So, she taught me. We beat up some villains, had a grand time. She declared me ready and returned to her home time line. The first villain I met on my own was a man named Slaymaster. My brother had defeated him numerous times and I thought I would have no trouble." She paused to swallow the lump forming in her throat at the painful memories.  
  
"'S ok. You don' have to tell me."  
  
"Shhh." She resumed stroking his hair over his back. "He was very strong and very vicious. He hurt me badly and pinned me under a large rock. I could not move and was paralyzed with pain and fear as he stood over me and taunted me. He...he laughed and used his claws to remove my eyes."  
  
Remy sat up suddenly to stare into her blue eyes, confusion written on his face.  
  
Betsy shook her head when he tried to speak. "I was blind for a very long time but my telepathy made it less of a handicap. I would 'see' through other's eyes. Then one day, I was ambushed by a being called Mojo. He rules another dimension and is very powerful. He replaced my eyes and enslaved my mind, rewriting my personality, even my soul to serve him. Through me, he stole several children including students from Xavier's and began to alter them into what he wanted. I was freed before Mojo could finish his work but he left the eyes. I considered having them removed but I could not bear to return to blindness. So, I can see only through the generosity of a thing I hate above all else."  
  
"Why're you tellin' me dis?"  
  
"Why did you tell me about Sinister?" They were silent for a long time before Betsy asked, "Is your empathy why you said it was easier to live in the boathouse?"  
  
"Oui, I can feel der anger. It hurts and it wears m' down, 'specially Stormy. It's de only reason Remy let you in dat first day. Could feel ya weren't mad."  
  
"Is that the worst you had to tell me?"  
  
"Oui, most o'de rest, you can figure. Like de femmes, t'ieving, usual stuff."  
  
"Good. Now, we are past that and I am hungry. I vote we have breakfast and talk about other things." Remy nodded and they disentangled themselves to pick up plates from the cart. The two of sat and talked for hours about their homes and families, forgetting the mess their present lives were by remembering pleasanter and simpler times.  
  
***************  
  
"M' cousin 'nd I decide to do de test toget'er, 'cause we wan' go out 'nd play, not be stuck inside learnin' safe crackin'. So, 'e turn on 'is stealth field 'nd Remy charges de lock 'nd blows de safe. Den, he drops de field 'nd we turn 'nd look at our teacher. He just don' know what to say but gettin' real mad 'nd ready to skin us. Mon pere comes out a' de shadows 'nd says we passed. Poor teacher just 'bout ready to 'ave a fit 'nd says we didn' do it right. But, papa says we got it open in silence, dat means we done it right. "We trainin' t'ieves not priests here". Teacher jus' t'row 'is 'ands in de air 'nd swear he gonna go get drunk."  
  
Betsy laughed at the latest story of Remy's childhood. "So, your cousin is a mutant as well?"  
  
"Oui."  
  
"There seem to be a lot of mutants in your family. Most of the relatives you have mentioned have some ability or other. It must have made it a little easier growing up with other mutant children around."  
  
Remy's eyes turned nervous and he looked away. Then, as if coming to a decision, he raised his eyes to stare at her very seriously. "We're frien's, right?"  
  
"I believe we are."  
  
"Frien's keep secrets 'nd dis is an important one. It's a Guild secret but I don' wan' you wonderin' 'bout it. 'Member when de Brood took over N'Awlins 'nd was stealin' de t'eif 'nd 'ssassin children?"  
  
Betsy's brow furrowed for a moment as she remembered that particular mission. "Yes. Wait a minute! I remember we asked the Brood Queen why she was taking over the guilds but you and Belladonna interfered, preventing her from answering, saying it was a Guild secret."  
  
"De guilds been doin' arranged marriages for centuries 'nd, when mutants started showin' up, bot' guilds see de potential. They been actively tryin' to arrange matches to produce mutant children eva since. Done a good job too. Every t'ief in my generation 'nd all de children got an ability o' some kind."  
  
Betsy's eyes widened in shock. "No wonder the Brood wanted them and no wonder the guilds keep it a secret. That many mutants trained as thieves and assassins...it would be a gold mine to anyone wanting to make an army."  
  
"It's why de need peace so much righ' now. De child'en gettin' more powerful. Soon, skirmishes 'tween de families are gonna be a danger to de city itself or more."  
  
"But, how is it that Charles has never sensed it? That large of a gathering of mutants in one place should have every alarm on Cerebro going off."  
  
Remy smiled at her. "Non, Remy not tell. One Guild secret a year is de limit."  
  
Betsy laughed in delight at the teasing look in his eyes. "Well, what if I decide to be stubborn and make you tell me?"  
  
"Den you betta have somet'ing real good to offer Remy in exchange."  
  
"Oh, really?" Her lids lowered and she looked up through her long lashes flirtatiously. "Hmmm, perhaps I can think of something."  
  
He gave her a lazy smile in return. "Don' go startin' somet'in' you not gonna finish."  
  
She suddenly looked away, embarrassed. Her and Warren's break up had only happened the previous day and she was already flirting with Remy, almost propositioning him? "I am sorry."  
  
"Don' be. Wouldn' min' bein' a reboun' homme fo you."  
  
Betsy looked at him out of the corner of her eye. It was tempting. He was a handsome man with bedroom eyes, a smoky voice, and a lean body that seemed to beg to be touched. It was very tempting and the air almost sparked with sexual tension as she met his eyes. But, he deserved better than that and so did she.  
  
However, before she could say anything, he stood and shrugged, "Don' min' jus' bein' a frien' eit'er." He held out a hand to help her stand. "C'mon, gettin' too serious 'gain. Le's go out."  
  
She placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet, much too aware of the warmth of his touch. "Where?"  
  
He shrugged, "Dancin'?"  
  
"But, I am not dressed for a night on the town." Her protest was half- hearted. It had been too long since she had indulged in going to a club. Jubilee used to drag her along since Logan hated the places and would not let the young woman go alone. Unfortunately, with Jubilee in Massachusetts, she only came into the city to go to plays and operas, which she did enjoy. However, she missed the loud hard music of the clubs, the press of the crowd, losing yourself in the music.  
  
"Club's don' open for more'n an hour, got more dan enough time t'get clothes for goin' out."  
  
She made no more protest and they were soon at Sachs, where Remy abandoned her to shop alone. Betsy was not surprised. After all, she had never met a man who enjoyed shopping and he had been more polite about it than Logan or Warren, promising he would be back in an hour. She ended up buying several outfits but the one she had picked out for the night was a deep amethyst silk dress that looked almost black. It tied around the back of her neck, leaving her shoulders and back bare and ended a few inches below the top of her thighs. It fit like a second glove, flattering her figure. A pair of heeled, black leather, high healed sandles were found and a stop at the perfume and make-up counters completed her trip. Arriving at the arranged meeting place, she noticed Remy had a few bags himself as he raised an eyebrow at the amount she was carrying.  
  
"Y'leave anyt'ing behin'?"  
  
She smiled. "Just the bad stuff."  
  
They returned to the Waldorf suite and had a light dinner before separating to their respective bedrooms to get ready. Betsy had asked for a suite with two bedrooms that morning because she had not known how Remy's confessions would end up and she had wanted to be prepared in case he needed to stay away from the mansion that night. She was glad for it as she slipped into her new dress and applied her make-up carefully, leaving her hair loose and flowing down her back.  
  
Stepping out into the empty sitting room, she closed the bedroom door behind her and was startled by a low whistle from the open balcony door. "Look bien, ma ami." Remy stood in the shadows, his eyes glowing lightly in the darkness as he took a last drag from his cigarette before crushing it under his heel. When he stepped into the light of the room, Betsy let her own gaze roam his body as he had done to her. He wore a blood-red silk shirt tucked into leather pants as obscenely tight as everything else he wore. His hair was pulled back in his usual ponytail and flowed down his back while his bangs shadowed his eyes.  
  
Leaning on one hip, he let her look her fill until her gaze met his once again and he arched an elegant eyebrow. "Does Remy pass inspection?"  
  
She gave him a light smile. "I think you'll do."  
  
"Bien, le's go." Stepping next to her, he took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly before tucking it around his elbow.  
  
They dropped the room key off at the front desk and were quickly on their way to one of the trendiest and most expensive clubs in town. Turning Betsy's silver BMW over to the valet, the two of them swept past the waiting line, right up to the bouncer at the door. He nodded at both of them with familiarity and let them in immediately, receiving a large tip from Remy and a light caress on his arm from Betsy for his trouble.  
  
Stepping inside, Betsy leaned close to Remy so she could be heard. "Seems you've been here before."  
  
Remy smiled and leaned down to speak directly into her ear. "Ya not de only one Jubes talks into gettin' her out o' de mansion."  
  
Betsy felt a shiver of pleasure as his warm breath touched her ear. He was becoming much too tempting after offering to be her 'rebound homme' earlier. Trying to cover up his effect on her, she smiled playfully. "I'm surprised you would risk it. I doubt Logan would be happy to hear about it and he is not one to cross."  
  
In answer, he leaned in closer and she could almost feel his lips touching her ear. "Some t'ings are wort' de risk, n'est pas?" Pulling back, he had a devilish smile as he pulled onto the dance floor. 


	14. Chapter 14

Mail Call  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - Just to let everyone know, I got the idea to give her a silver BMW from your fic. Plus, I think you'll like this chapter. You're finally getting something you've been asking for. ;-) Your newest picture of Remy and Betsy is great! Thanks for all your encouragement and your reviews. They're really fun to read.  
  
Marissa - Thanks, here's the next the chapter.  
  
MagnusXXN - Good summaries of the characters and attitudes. I've intentionally had Remy unsure because the last woman he really trusted tried to kill him and Betsy is just as capable of ending his life as Rogue. I'm hoping you'll continue to let me know what you think.  
  
Anyway, here you go, at the club.  
  
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Chapter 14  
  
The music was hard and fast as Remy and Betsy moved on the dance floor. The crowd pushed them close together as the moved to the rhythms. It felt good to let go and even better with a skilled dance partner, as Remy was proving to be. The songs flowed from one to another and Betsy became so caught up in it all that it was quite awhile later that she realized she was thirsty. Becoming fully aware of her surroundings once more, she was actually surprised to find herself pressing back against Remy's chest, his hands resting lightly on her hips as they moved together. It felt good, tempting, and she was becoming overheated from more than the music. With an effort of will, Betsy stepped away him and headed to the bar, keeping a hold of his hand to bring him with her. Water seemed her best choice to avoid dehydration and accidents later, since she was driving. Besides, a drunk telepath in a crowd was never a good idea.  
  
Looking up at Remy to ask if he was thirsty, she noticed hi eyes were already glazed and slightly unfocused. Tugging on his hand, she gained his attention and he leaned down so he could hear her over the noise. "You're feeling everyone, aren't you?"  
  
He quickly turned his head, searching her eyes nervously before nodding.  
  
She stared back into his eyes, giving into the curiosity and recklessness that was such an integral part of her personality. "Show me."  
  
He stared at her for several minutes, seeming to doubt he had heard her right. She nodded encouragement but he continued to stare down at her, his face a mask but his eyes suddenly very focused. Seeming to come to a decision, he leaned in and lightly pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. She, once again, felt the strange sense of feelings that were not her own. The influx of lust, joy, passion, and more surrounded her and increased until she gasped at the sheer intensity of it. The level immediately lowered as he pulled back but she caught his face in her hands, sliding to the side slightly so she could speak directly into his ear. "Leave it on."  
  
The emotions rose again as they moved back onto the dance floor, drinks forgotten. This time she felt as if the crowd were a living organism ebbing and swirling around them and they were a part of it, dancing, caught up in the surrounding emotions. Currents of envy, admiration, and lust rolled over her as she slid her body against his and she felt a spike of arousal tinged with concern and affection separate from the emotions of the surrounding mob. Looking up suddenly, she saw what was burning in his eyes and she smiled up at him, relishing the feeling of it, before turning to face away. Leaning back, she slid her body down his, giving into the lure of his concern and affection, responding to his arousal with her own, letting herself be buoyed by the crowd's emotions.  
  
The emotional feed suddenly cut off as Remy quickly pulled her up to face him, wrapping her in a confining embrace to restrict her movements. Concern and fear were etched over his features and he was saying something but the club was too loud to hear.  
  
Reaching out with her telepathy, she gently pushed against his shields and felt them lower. *What's wrong?*  
  
*Y'gettin' too lost in de feelin's.*  
  
Betsy lay her head against his chest, her hands trapped between them. *A little, but I like it. I was enjoying it.*  
  
*Dat's de problem. You like it now. Tomorrow...* A shiver of apprehension ran through him and up Betsy's fingers and palms.  
  
*Remy, I am enjoying them, not being controlled by them.*  
  
*'Ow can ya be sure?*  
  
She squirmed until she could free one hand and she looked up at him, gazing deeply into his eyes while affectionately pushing a strand of hair out of his face. *You have it turned off right now and I feel the same inside myself.* He slowly returned her smile. *Turn it back on. Please.*  
  
He leaned in slowly, as his grip on her loosened, giving her time to step back. Her newly freed hand moved over his chest to his shoulder as her other hand stroked his hair back from his face. Gently, his lips found hers and he kissed her very slowly as he reopened the flow of emotions through him to her. Betsy gasped, once again, at the new sensations and Remy took full advantage, his tongue delving into her mouth, caressing her own and luring it out to play. She pressed her body against him, feeling his arousal heighten and the lust and envy of the surrounding crowd mixing with her own growing pleasure.  
  
*Remy.*  
  
He shivered as he felt her telepathic moan drift through his mind. *Chere...Tres belle...*  
  
His words drifted back along the telepathic link as his emotions wrapped tighter around her and she was sure he could feel the emotions rising in her as well. Need for air finally caused their mouths to part but his mouth began to trail wet kisses down her jaw to her neck. Their bodies twined together, caught up in the music and each other, the crowd simply a background of emotions as his mouth attacked her neck above the dress collar and her leg ran up his thigh. He gripped her bare thigh, pulling her hips against his, as his long, nimble fingers, gave little caresses over the edge of her inner thigh.  
  
Her calf wrapped around his thigh, giving her an anchor for balance as she ground herself against his hard erection, loving the soft moans running from his mind over the telepathic link to her own even as she was sure he could hear her own whimpers of pleasure as he nipped at her ear lobe.  
  
In retaliation, her fingers undid several buttons of his shirt, allowing her to slip her hand underneath and trace the muscles of his chest. His pleasure at her touch flooded down the length of the link causing her to boldly run a finger over a hardening nipple.  
  
*Chere, Betsy, Need you bad.*  
  
*The hotel?*  
  
*Oui.*  
  
Sharing another deep kiss, Remy reluctantly released her thigh and she lowered it until both feet were back on the floor. Keeping an arm wrapped possessively around her, they made their way quickly to the door. Remy's hands never ceased moving, caressing her hips, stomach, lower back, and Betsy focused on sending her pleasure at the touches over their developing link, making him his in pleasure of his own. The valet approached, asking for their ticket and Betsy leaned back against Remy who was pressed against her, nuzzling her neck. "I don't think I can drive."  
  
"Call a cab, chere. Get de car tomorrow."  
  
She turned her head to look at him and he immediately gave her the kiss she wanted, hearing the silent wish over the link. It took several minutes for them to break apart again and that was only because she could feel the rising discomfort of the surrounding people. Betsy barely spared a glance at the valet as she asked him to get a cab for them. The young man swallowed hard before stepping to the edge of the street.  
  
It was only a few minutes later when the car pulled to the side and the valet opened the door for them. Betsy stepped away and slid into the backseat never releasing Remy's hand as she tugged him in behind her. He did not even look at the driver as he ordered, "De Waldorf," before pulling her against him once again, claiming her mouth. He nibbled at her lower lip and she undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt, spreading the material away from his skin. Her hands traced his lean muscled chest, while he pulled her legs up across his lap, his other arm bracing her against him while he plundered her mouth. His hand stoked her thigh moving up over her ass and she could feel him smile every time he touched a favorite spot. He could feel the spike of pleasure and he stroked each spot over and over until she was gasping for air, breaking the kiss.  
  
In retaliation, she lightly nipped at his neck before running her tongue over his shoulder down to his collarbone, her other palm rubbing slowly over a hard nipple. His pleasure spikes traveled back over the link to her enhancing her own pleasure. Smiling against his skin, she took the hardening piece of flesh between two fingers, rolling it slightly. He hissed and moaned. *Dis cab betta get to de 'otel soon or dis is gonna kill me.*  
  
Betsy smiled against his skin. *Then the driver better hurry. I do not want you dying before we get there.* She did not want to break off tasting him for even a few moments.  
  
They heard a polite throat clearing and they turned to see the doorman holding the cab door open for them. It took a few moments to disentangle themselves but they soon were out of the cab. Remy turned to pay the driver, while sending, *Get de key, chere, 'nd I meet ya at de elevator. We get where we wan' faster.*  
  
Betsy turned and strode quickly to the desk, demanding her key. The clerk took one look at her dilated eyes and handed her the piece of metal, wishing it was him going up there. She had just pushed the button to summon the elevator when she felt strong arms wrap around her and Remy's bare chest pressed her bare back, revealed by her backless dress. He gave her a tight hug, stroking her stomach with his hands and Betsy reached over her head, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"You're belle, Betsy, inside 'nd out." His voice was soft against her ear as he pressed his lips against her temple. "Remy gonna make ya feel good."  
  
"Already are." her fingers stoked his long hair and she leaned back so she could feel his arousal hard against her.  
  
The elevator doors finally opened and the two of them immediately moved inside. The compartment was empty and Remy quickly hit the button for their floor. The doors closed and pressed his temple against hers, sending her images of what he wanted to do to her. Betsy's knees went week at the mental image of Remy lifting and pinning her against a wall, her legs wrapped around his waist. She could almost feel it and she began to whimper in need. "Remy...yes...now."  
  
"Non" His voice was rough and his eyes were blazing, the red pupils dilated so large they seemed like bon fires. "First time wit' ya, Remy gonna do it right. Gonna put ya in de middle of de bed." His mind sent her images to match his words, his lust and affection pouring over her like physical things. "Gonna pull dat dress off ya nice 'nd slow." His hands continued exploring, learning her most sensitive spots. "Gonna taste ya, make ya shake." The elevator gave a short ping as the doors opened.  
  
The two of them rushed to the door, slamming and locking it behind them before Remy swept her up into his arms. "Which room?"  
  
"The closest one."  
  
By chance it turned out to be the one Betsy had used earlier to change, however neither one of them noticed that. They were soon in the bed, Remy kissing her down into the soft mattress as his hands quickly unhooked the neck of her dress. Breaking the kiss, his mouth followed the dress down her body, finding all the right places, making Betsy arch against him in ecstasy. Reaching her stomach, he raised to a kneeling position to reach her shoes, removing them and throwing them to the side. He shrugged off his own shirt, much to Betsy's delight, then reached up, hooking his fingers in the waist of her dress and the elastic on her thong. She lifted her hips to help him remove the last of her clothing and he tossed it too the side.  
  
He knelt between her thighs, his eyes devouring her body, and his hand actually trembled as he caressed her. "Tres belle, chere, perfect."  
  
Her body shivered as his emotions and thought traveled through their link, telling her so much more than what he was saying, letting her reply with so much more in silence. He heard her silent plea and lowered his mouth to her skin once again. His wet mouth suckled at her breast as his fingers stroked her upper thighs, moving, teasingly, closer and closer to the apex. Betsy freed his hair from its ponytail and ran her fingers through the silken strands, rubbing it over his back and shoulders as she arched under his mouth.  
  
She felt hot and wet and empty, and he was hard and aching, desiring to please her. His mouth moved down her body as his fingers drove her wild, caressing so close but not touching her where she was dying to be touched. Settling himself between her legs, he gently spread her with his fingers then lowered his head and sucked her clitoris between his lips.  
  
Her hands clenched in his hair and she arched up against him with a loud cry. He lapped and sucked, pushing his fingers deep inside her as he worked over her clit before replacing his fingers with his tongue. Betsy's eyes were closed as she writhed under his touch, urging him on, burning to climax but trying to stave it off, make this ecstasy last, while his voice echoed through the telepathic link, telling her how beautiful she was, how wonderful she tasted, and she could feel how much he was enjoying it as she shivered under the assault of his mouth and fingers.  
  
She was gasping for air, pressing up against him, closer and closer to the edge until. Her body tightened in ecstasy and she clutched at his heads and shoulders, crying out his name.  
  
Shaking with aftershocks, she stroked his face, smiling. She wanted him inside her. He smiled up at her. "Want ta be inside ya too."  
  
She felt his laughter more than heard it. The link was getting deeper. "Then what are we waiting for?"  
  
He smiled at her before rolling off the bed and getting rid of the rest of his own clothes. Her eyes ran up and down his body and he let her look her fill, unashamed. He was perfectly proportioned, lean and muscled, clean hard lines that seemed to beg her to touch him. He smiled as he felt her admiration and crawled back onto the bed where she pulled him back into the cradle of her body. She could feel his need and it was almost painful, but he did not rush. He lay over her, kissing her deeply, exploring her mouth thoroughly, without hurry. His restraint and concern for her pushed her own emotions higher and she began squirming underneath him, needing him.  
  
Feeling her hot and empty beneath him, he pulled back so he was braced on his elbows looking down at her. She looked at the condom package he held between two fingers as he asked, "Y'want ta put it on or Remy to do it?"  
  
She lifted her head to press a kiss against his lips, pushing the package away. "I think we have been through enough physicals from Hank to do without."  
  
"Non, not Remy. Hate physicals 'nd ain't had one in years."  
  
"Remy..." Her mind was confused but her body was reminding her that they were already in the middle of something and that her curiosity could just shut up for awhile. His empathy was telling her that he was more than ready, his body a tautly drawn and needing and she was not any better off. "Give me that."  
  
The package was quickly opened and used. He covered her mouth with his own again as he thrust into her waiting body. Betsy wrapped her legs around him, moaning into his mouth as he moved inside her. He felt so right in her and she could feel that is was the same for him. Their pleasure washed over them, combining and growing as he moved faster, pushing in deep and hard, their minds begging and praising and saying more than they realized. Her hips lifted to take in each thrust and the pressure inside her was almost painful when he broke the kiss abruptly, pressing his mouth against her shoulder and sucking at the skin. Her body immediately spasmed in ecstasy, clutching and clinging to his as he pushed deep inside her. His body was tense and straining against her as he found his release, but his mouth did not leave her skin, instead sucking even harder. Betsy screamed and her body spasmed even tighter as he continued his assault on one of her most sensitive erogenous zones, the intense pleasure and slight pain making it almost impossible to breath as her body felt like it exploded like she was launched into space and he was right there with her, holding her body, heart, and mind, tightly.  
  
They collapsed back onto the bed, breathing hard but completely relaxed. His face was nestled in her neck, his breath hot against her skin. Betsy languidly stroked his back and shoulders, intermittently over his neck and collar bone. She could feel him falling towards sleep and she knew she would soon follow. He must have realized it too, because he rolled them over so he lay on his back and she was nestled against his side, using his shoulder as a pillow. "Y'want ta clean up or..."  
  
"Sleep," She interrupted. "I have no interest in moving one inch which means you, as my pillow, have to stay still."  
  
"Oui, madam." She could feel a small chuckle. "But, I gotta move f'r one t'ing."  
  
Betsy was about to ask him what, when she saw him reaching down and removing the used condom from himself, dropping it into the trashcan beside the bed. "Ok, I can understand you had to do that but nothing more. I am comfortable." She lay on her side, her head on his shoulder, a leg over his stomach and a hand on his chest over his heart.  
  
"Now ain't dat a coincidence, so is Remy." One arm curled around her, his fingers languidly stroking her bare hip as his other hand took hold of hers, entwining their fingers. Raising it to his lips, he place a soft kiss on the back before laying the clasped hands back on his heart. Laying his cheek against her hair, he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.  
  
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Author's note: I expect sodas and candies from Elizabeth Braddock-Grey. You got yer smut. (He he he) = P 


	15. Chapter 15

Mail Call  
  
Ok, general thanks. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm really pleased, cancel that, ecstatic, overcome, that you all liked chapter 14 and I hope my writing can live up to the standard it apparently set. I thank you, my ego thanks you, my creativity thanks you, etc.  
  
As for whether this is a rebound thing, well, I think you all know my answer: read and see. ;-)  
  
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Chapter 15  
  
Remy woke up warm for the first time since Antarctica. Not only was their a warm body pressed tightly against his, but he was surrounded by warm feelings of contentment, affection, friendliness. Pulling the body closer, he rubbed his cheek against the hair happily, before falling back into a deep sleep.  
  
******************  
  
The sun was high in the sky when Betsy woke up, but she did not notice. It was dark in the room with the curtains pulled and she nuzzled the lean chest she was lying on before placing a kiss on the smooth skin. Looking up at her bed partner, she smiled into red on black eyes that stared down at intently. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"  
  
"Oui, better dan a long time." His long fingers stroked the side of her face, tracing her delicate features and she turned her head slightly to press a warm kiss against his palm.  
  
"I am glad."  
  
He smiled and cupped her jaw, turning her toward him so he could press a light kiss over her lips. "Moi, aussi."  
  
There were several minutes of silence and Betsy wondered at how they could be pressed so intimately together yet feel so awkward. She wished she knew how he felt about last night. She was not sure where this would lead or even where she wanted it to lead but she did know that she did not regret it. She wondered if he did. It suddenly occurred to her that she should know if he did or not. Last night, she had been able to feel everything and now, it was gone, making the room to silent. He had turned off the link, retreated behind his shields. A small touch and she could feel that they were just as tight as ever. A sadness came over her.  
  
Remy pulled her closer, stroking her back, trying to soothe her. "Betsy, what's wron'? Y'can tell Remy. He help, no matter what. C'mon tell moi why you so sad?" She closed her eyes, enjoying the touch while trying to think of what to tell him. "Is it las' night? Don' worry, it's Remy's fault. Je suis désolé."  
  
Betsy quickly covered his lips with her fingers to quiet him. "No, I do not regret last night. Any of it. I just..." She looked away and played with the sheets nervously.  
  
"Quoi? Tell me." His hand continued to stroke her back soothingly.  
  
"I just miss the empathy." His body stiffened but she could not tell why. Was he angry, disgusted, afraid? "The closeness. Last night was special and...I do not know how to explain this, but I miss it."  
  
"Remy didn' t'ink you'd wan' him in your head. Didn' wan' you to t'ink he messin' wit' your heart. 'Sides, Remy's not used to usin' it so much. Try real hard to keep it inside where it don' cause trouble."  
  
Betsy nodded at his logic but was saddened even further by his reasoning.  
  
"Hey," She looked up at him, "still frien's?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Good, den as a frien', move." His eyes were dancing with laughter as she looked up at him confused. "You too heavy, Remy's arm's goin' to sleep."  
  
Betsy sat up with a gasp of outrage and grabbed the nearest pillow, beating him with it while he laughed and dodged out of the room. Throwing the pillow at the closing door, she fought back a smile as she went into the adjoining bathroom to take a shower.  
  
Almost an hour later, she was dressed in a new outfit, her previously worn clothing in an empty bag along with Remy's clothes from the previous night. Remy emerged from the other bedroom, still smiling as he asked, "Is it safe?"  
  
She smiled back. "For the moment, but that is only because I am hungry and we need to go get my car."  
  
"Remy hears and obeys."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"Part of de job description." His words were said in a bantering tone but Betsy looked at him sharply, worried about a possible deeper, more painful, meaning. She really wished she still had the empathic link with him. Right after the thought crossed her mind, she felt a small thread of emotion from Remy. It was soft and untouched by bitterness. He had been kidding. She smiled in relief but did not say anything, not wanting to call attention to it, and he gave her a shy smile in return. "Let's go get your car 'nd get you fed. You gettin' cranky."  
  
Betsy immediately took his offered arm, smiling up at him. "You have not seen cranky yet."  
  
They had a pleasant ride to pick up her BMW and a pleasant lunch, they had slept through breakfast. The two of them continued to discuss most anything and Betsy found that the Cajun actually had good taste in, as well as extensive knowledge, in art. He even told her that several of the paintings in various museums were fakes and she was not sure whether to believe him or not. The mischievous glint in his eye made her doubt. She could not be sure, however, knowing he was a superb thief and that many of his guild were just as good, perhaps better. She decided to take a closer look the next time she went to an exhibit featuring Picasso. Remy swore that the you could tell one was a fake because his adopted father's brother had stolen the real thing decades ago, leaving a fake with a silhouette of Lady Godiva hidden in the shapes and colors.  
  
"'S true, chere, he put it dere so all us t'ieves could go look at it 'nd have our own laugh 'bout it. Painted de fake hisself."  
  
"Yes, but which one is it?"  
  
"Remy not tell, dat take all de fun outta it. You jus' goin' to have to look 'nd find it, chere. But maybe, if ya ask real nice, Remy take ya ta see de real one."  
  
She smiled in return as the two of them finished their desert.  
  
It was late afternoon when the two wayward mutants found their way back to the mansion. Parking the BMW, they walked inside, arm in arm, to see what they had missed. If something bad had happened, they would rather find out now than be surprised later. Betsy could feel Remy's nervousness and tried to send him comfort in return but was not sure if it was helping since he was sure to feel her nervousness as well. They found Logan in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge and he greeted them without looking up.  
  
"So, you kids have fun?"  
  
Betsy smiled at her longtime friend, even though he could not see it. "Yes, we did. We went dancing."  
  
He looked them over, pulling out some leftovers to be heated up. "Uh-huh. Glad to hear it."  
  
Betsy studied the shorter mutant intently. "What do you mean 'Uh-huh'?"  
  
His grin widened as he set the microwave. "Just that, uh-huh. Don't get paranoid."  
  
"When de Wolverine flash dat smile, it not paranoia it jus' good sense."  
  
Wolverine grinned even wider at Remy's defense of Betsy.  
  
"Oh, Ah don' know. Ah think we can all guess what ya'll were really up to." Rogue leaned against the door jamb, her eyes glancing pointedly at Betsy hand tucked into the crook of Remy's elbow.  
  
"Good afternoon, Rogue." Betsy's voice took a very formal edge and she did not release her hold on Remy's arm.  
  
For his part, Remy did not pull away. Instead, he inclined his head to the Southern woman. "Bon jour, Rogue."  
  
"Rogue?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "Why, sugah, whateva happened to chere? Wasn' that what ya always called me before?"  
  
"Non, you not been chere to Remy for a long time, girl."  
  
"Ah see. Ya got yourself a new toy. Don' wanna play with the one ya broke, huh?"  
  
Betsy could feel the whirlwind of emotions stirring in Remy and she tried to think of a way to get him away from Rogue. However, due to the belle's powers, there was nowhere to escape her. No door could keep her out. The only way would be to knock her unconscious and Betsy was hesitant to give others more ammunition than they already had.  
  
Remy opened his mouth as if about to answer back then closed it and shut his eyes, shaking his head briefly. "Non, Remy not gonna 'splain to you." Opening his eyes he stared into her green eyes and Betsy could feel his emotions growing cold. "Tried to 'splain on de ice 'nd after 'nd even before but you didn' wan' hear. So, non, Remy not gonna even try now."  
  
"You are correct, brother, we are past the time of deserving explanations. However, I would hear one, if you are still willing to give me one." Ororo stepped into the kitchen, her eyes fixed on Remy who stared back in disbelief.  
  
"Stormy..."  
  
She gave him a small, tentative, smile as she stood in front of him. "Do not call me that."  
  
They stared at each other for several moments, neither making a move when suddenly, they fell into a hug, holding each other tightly. "Stormy."  
  
"I've missed you, brother, so much."  
  
Betsy wiped a tear from her eye at the tender scene and she could feel his happiness stronger over the link.  
  
"Well, ain't that the sweetest thing." Rogue's voice was dripping with sarcasm but no one paid her any heed.  
  
Ororo and Remy finally broke apart but did not separate and Betsy could see that the African mutant was crying as well. "Will you speak with me? Talk to me?"  
  
Remy agreed quickly and the two of them left the room without another word. Betsy was neither offended nor surprised. Over the past few days she had picked up a few things about Remy and had pieced it together with what she already knew. He had been very close to his family growing up and it had been agony to be separated when he had been exiled. Ororo had taken away much of that pain by becoming a sister to him, family. When he thought he had lost her, it had been exile all over again only worse because he could see her every day, feel her pain and the separation. Betsy did not think he had ever truly believed that Ororo would speak to him again but he had never stopped loving his adopted sister just as he had never stopped loving his family back in New Orleans.  
  
Logan waved a box of tissue under her nose and she took it gratefully, overcome with happiness and hope for Remy.  
  
Rogue had left sometime earlier, though no one had noticed, but was now replaced with Scott and Jean. "Betsy, where have you been?"  
  
She quickly wiped her eyes before turning to the team leader. "I was out, why?"  
  
"You're supposed to be on monitor duty tonight. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up for it."  
  
Truthfully, Betsy had completely forgotten about it. She had been a bit distracted lately. However, she was glad that she was assigned it tonight because she had some things she wanted to research and that was most easily and privately done when on monitor duty. "Well, Scott, as you can see, I have arrived on time for duty. Excuse me."  
  
She turned and left without another word, her mood buoyed be the happiness she could still feel from Remy. 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
Betsy sat at the large console in the monitor room and checked that everything was in order. She then set up the computers to let her know if anyone was approaching the room's door before beginning her research. Bringing up a search engine, she sent it through the mansion files to find every reference to Carol Danvers and Mister Sinister. There were still questions to be answered and Betsy had a suspicion that those two names would either provide her with answers or ammunition. The search engine finally displayed two lists and Betsy began to work her way through them.  
  
Several hours later, she was staring at the computer screen in deep contemplation over what she had just read.  
  
Carol Danvers had been a super heroine known as Ms. Marvel with flight, super strength, and invulnerability. She had been a close ally of the X- men and the primary opposition to Mystique's villain team at the time. Rogue had still been with the shape changer during this period. Rogue and Ms. Marvel battled several times and, each time, Rogue would absorb a portion of Ms. Marvel's power but still be defeated by the strong willed woman. Eventually, Rogue in an apparent need for vengeance lured Ms. Marvel into a fight on the Golden Gate Bridge. Somehow during the fight, Rogue permanently absorbed Ms. Marvel's powers, giving her the flight, super strength, and invulnerability she enjoyed to this day, then threw Ms. Marvel's body off the bridge believing her dead. Ms. Marvel's mind and will were apparently very strong as what was left of her continued to fight, trying to take control of Rogue's body. This, along with the fact that a remnant of each of Rogue's victim's psyches remains in Rogues mind, led to severe mental stress which brought Rogue to the X-men. According to the files, Xavier erased the other psyches, leaving Rogue alone in her head.  
  
This fact was false and Betsy knew it. Ms. Marvel was not a remnant and therefore was not erased. She was suppressed but managed to surface several times over the following years until, with Magneto's help, Rogue's personality was able to rid the body of Carol's effectively killing her.  
  
Even more disturbing, however, was the fact that Carol Danver's mind and body did not die on the bridge. Instead, she was, through unknown means, transported to space and changed into Binary, effectively a living star. When she returned to Earth, Carol came to the X-men to see old friends. Carol, of course, became violently angry upon finding Rogue in the mansion and attacked. She was quickly opposed by the X-men and told to forget the incident and leave Rogue alone. This infuriated Carol but the X-men stood in opposition to her and she refused to fight her previous allies. She left and had since joined the Avengers. There is no evidence in the files of further contact between Carol and the X-men.  
  
Mr. Sinister's history with the X-men was even more disturbing. The man had run the orphanage Scott and Alex Summers grew up in. It was also the same place Grayden Creed had lived. Worse still, it was during Scott's years at this orphanage that he had lost control of his powers due to Sinister's experiments. The emotionless geneticist was a high caliber psionic able to manipulate the mind and powers of others. It was most easily done with children or with unconscious victims, of course but the possibilities were still endless. All in all, it provided a picture that both relieved and scared her.  
  
Betsy was still deep in thought when the computer beeped letting her know someone was approaching. Distractedly, she cleared the screen of her research before turning to the opening door.  
  
Remy stepped in with a tray, a small table, and a smile. "Bon soir, chere. Come bearin' gifts."  
  
Betsy smiled in return, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind as his happiness washed over her. "I see your talk with Ororo went well."  
  
"Oui, tres bien. She not completely happy wit' Remy's 'splanation but she t'ink we all done 'nough wrong through dis, she ain' gonna judge no more."  
  
"That is wonderful news." Betsy's smile grew as she took the cup of coffee he offered her.  
  
Remy finished setting the tray and table up then pulled one of the computer chairs over to sit on the other side. "Oui. Remy didn' t'ink she eva talk ta him 'gain. T'day was tres surpise."  
  
"I know."  
  
He lifted an eyebrow at her before teasing, "What, you an 'mpath now too?"  
  
The question confused her as she answered, "No, but when you leave the link on..." She stopped as she saw his eyes widen in horror and she quickly set down her coffee, grabbing his hand as he rose to leave. "Remy, what?" The link was still nowhere as intense as the previous night but she could fell his fear and horror anyway.  
  
He did not look at her but he did not pull his hand away from either. "Je suis desole. Remy turned it off, he promise."  
  
Betsy's eyes widened. "You mean you didn't know I could still feel your emotions."  
  
"Non, didn' know. Turned it off."  
  
His voice sounded so lost and upset, Betsy immediately stood and held him tightly. "Remy, how many times do I have to tell you, I am not angry. You are an empath, you should know this."  
  
He hugged her back tightly. "Jus' worry. Don' wan' you to get controlled by de empathy. Wan' dis ta be real, wan' ta keep de frien'ship. Mus' be gettin' real tired o' Remy doin' dis, huh?"  
  
She pulled back and stared into his eyes. The emotions along the link had been getting stronger since they touched and she caught a fragment of a thought, something she was sure he had not intentionally sent her. "I know you are afraid I am going to leave you or send you away." He opened his mouth to protest but she quickly pressed her fingers to his lips to quiet him. "I understand, Remy. Everyone you have let close has either left you or exiled you so it is easy to stop believing anyone will stay, easier to try to be alone. You are not alone and you have my permission to read my emotional state anytime you want if it will help you believe that. You are not manipulating me."  
  
Remy continued to stare into her eyes as he placed a soft kiss on each of her fingers. "Merci, chere, you keep tellin' Remy dat. One day, it get t'rough 'is thick skull."  
  
"I thought Logan was the one with the thick skull."  
  
He laughed with her, remembering the earlier conversation. "Right, now Remy 'member. You stubborn, de Wolverine hard-headed...what does dat make Remy?"  
  
"Resilient. Now, since we are friends I will not hesitate to ask you, can I please get back to my coffee before it gets cold?"  
  
As they parted to sit back down at the little table, Betsy noticed that the link lessoned in intensity and she was barred completely from his thoughts once again. She added it to her large list of things to ponder later as she sipped the coffee. It tasted wonderful and she looked at Remy suspiciously. "This did not come from the mansion kitchen."  
  
"Non, went out ta get somethin' decent."  
  
"On your bike?"  
  
"Non, ya t'ink Warren gonna notice a few extra miles on 'is Mercedes?"  
  
Betsy laughed happily. "You took Warren's car?"  
  
"Oui."  
  
"Well, tell me, did you do anything else to it?"  
  
He smiled innocently. "Nothin' much, 'cept stop by a contact of mine. He's a good artist 'nd now Monsiur Worthington can 'splain why 'e drivin' a car reported stolen 'nd registered in Jean's name."  
  
"You didn't!"  
  
"Oui, 'nd wit' great pleasure." 


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry it took so long to update. I had writer's block over the weekend and Victor (Sabretooth) was just too demanding about his story last week.  
  
Anyway, mail call:  
  
DedRedHed - Thank you. Remy and Victor are two of my favorite characters of all time.  
  
girlonthem00n - Sorry about not continuing sooner. I will try to update more quickly (if my muses will just be cooperative).  
  
MagnusXXN - Interesting guesses. Trust me there is a reason for her to be interested in Sinister but it won't come out for a little while.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - Thank you. Always good to hear from you.  
  
BY THE WAY EVERYONE - If anyone is looking for an X-men Evolution Site with great fanfic and canon information and wonderful pics-check out the site Elizabeth Braddock-Grey made (it's listed in her bio on this site). It really is excellent.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************************************************  
  
Chapter 17  
  
They were still laughing as the hall sensors went off, alerting them to the approach of the next person scheduled for monitor duty. Betsy immediately turned back to the compter to erase the traces of her search as she did not feel up to explaining her curiousity...yet. Remy was careful not to watch the screen, curious but giving her privacy, as he disposed of the empty coffee cups and empty snack containers .  
  
Betsy quickly finished returning the consoles to their default settings and turned to find Remy leaning against the wall next to the door, calmly waiting. She could feel a tinge of anxiety from him but at least he was no longer suggesting he sneak out so no one would see them together. Instead, he surprised her, asking, "So, y'got plans after dis?"  
  
"No, I had not thought about it."  
  
"Wanna go do somethin'? De night still young 'nd Remy hate wastin' de darkness."  
  
Betsy blinked in pleasant surpise. "That would be nice, I am not ready for sleep either. However, may I ask, why the change?"  
  
"Change?"  
  
"Yes, before you were always trying to sneak off so no one would know we were talking. Now, you do not seem to care."  
  
Remy gave her a mocking smile. "Told ya, didn' want de ot'ers to know we frien's 'til after you know what you were gettin' into, 'til ya could decide if Remy wort' de trouble. You know Remy's worse secrets now 'nd you not leavin'. You made your decision so it don' matter no more if de ot'ers know or not." He glanced over his shoulder at the closed door. "Now, if Ange would just make up 'is min' 'nd come inside, we can get outta here."  
  
Betsy had forgotten that Warren was on duty next. They had arranged it days ago when they were still together. The two of them would usually keep each other company while on duty but that was no longer an option. After their break-up, was it just two days ago, the two of them had not even shared a courteous word and Betsy did not intend to change that fact anytime soon. The memory of him smiling at Remy trapped by ice in the danger room still angered her. Therefore, she was in no mood for politeness as she opened the door to confront the nervous, pacing winged mutant.  
  
Warren looked up, surprised at the door suddenly opening. "Betsy!"  
  
"Yes. I assume you are here for your turn on monitor duty."  
  
"No, I mean, yeah." He stared down at her, his blue eyes questioning. "Why don't you stay and keep me company?" Betsy raised an eyebrow mockingly. "I think we need to talk."  
  
Betsy was surprised with his self-restraint at the presence of Remy then quickly realized, he had not looked away from her since she had opened the door and had probably not seen the Cajun yet. "I already have plans."  
  
"WHAT? With who?"  
  
"A good friend, excuse us." She turned slightly and held out a hand to Remy who had been standing silently just behind her. Warren tensed as he looked up and realized who she was speaking of while Remy simply smiled. He stepped forward and offered Betsy his arm and she immediately tucked her hand around his elbow. "Good night, Warren."  
  
Warren reached out for her arm but Betsy sidestepped out of the way. "Betsy, what are you doing?"  
  
"You never listen, do you? I just told you, I have plans tonight with a good friend." She could feel Remy's concern more strongly as he intentionally reopened the link slightly. It was not enough to distract her but gave her reassurance. "Good night, Warren."  
  
Warren's voice began to rise in anger. "You can't go out with him."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"He's a traitor! A murderer!"  
  
Betsy's smile twisted into a sneer. "Who here is innocent of that charge, Warren? Or should I call you Death."  
  
"It was his fault..."  
  
"Yes, yes, we have heard this refrain time and time again. It is as false now as it was the hundred times you have said it before. Harpoon and Blockbuster injured your wings. Hodge ordered them amputated, therefore, unless Remy was part of the surgical team, he had nothing to do with it."  
  
"HE GATHERED THEM! HE IS RESPONSIBLE!" Warren's voice was echoing down the hallways and Betsy was sure they would be receiving more company soon but she was in no mood to deal with this further.  
  
Remy had opened the link even futher during the altercation and Betsy welcomed it. He was wrapping her up in his friendship, reassuring her that she had his support. It also allowed him to realize she wanted to leave without her saying anything. Freeing his arm from her grip, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began to guide her down the hallway, rudely ending the conversation.  
  
Warren, first clenched in anger, started to follow them but was stopped as Remy lifted his collapsible bo staff having removed from his coat earlier, unobserved, and pressed one end of it against Warren's windpipe, forcing the blonde man to stop.  
  
"Betsy tol' ya, she got ot'er plans. Leave it be, homme, or der gonna be a fight 'nd dis hallway too small for your wings ta be anyt'ing but trouble for ya." His voice was soft but firm and his eyes burned dangerously. Both Betsy and Warren could feel the underlying threat in his words.  
  
Betsy guessed she should take some offense at Remy's behavior or take action herself. It felt too nice, though, to have someone else taking care of her, so she remained silent against his side, simply enjoying the arm and emotions wrapped protectively around her.  
  
They could hear people coming down the stairs to find out what was going on so, keeping an eye on the blonde mutant, bo staff raised defensively, Remy maneuvered himself and Betsy away from Warren until they could leave down a side hallway. They missed the gathering mutants by seconds and managed to get to the garage without being stopped.  
  
Both of them knew that Warren would cast everything in the worst possible light but neither one was in the mood to fight tonight. Besides, the others would believe or disbelive Warren depending on their individual opinions of Remy regardless of whether or not the two of them were there. So, there was no real need to stay.  
  
Stepping into the garage, Remy collapsed his bo staff and replaced it in his pocket before turning to Betsy. "Where ya wanna go?"  
  
"Away from here."  
  
"Your wish is Remy's command."  
  
Betsy smiled at his teasing tone. "Liar."  
  
"Always." Nothing but postive feelings came over the still open link, which surprised Betsy. However, she chose not to mention it and nothing more was said as they climbed onto his motorcycle and quickly roared off into the night. 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
  
The wind whipped through the pair's long hair as they sped through the night. The link between them was still open and the thrill of speeding around dark curves was doubled by being shared. Betsy pressed closer against Remy's warm back, breathing deep the smell of leather from his worn coat, smiling as his body tensed, feeling the pleasure she was taking from his nearness. A picture of the two of them watching movies and eating popcorn popped into her head, carrying the feeling of contentment with it.  
  
*Sounds good. However, the theatres are closed by now.*  
  
*Oui, but der still video stores 'nd hotels. Or we could do somet'ing else.*  
  
Betsy smiled at his offer. She knew he was aroused by her closeness, could feel his desire across the link, but he was till giving her a choice. Of course, it was a safe bet for him since, she was sure, he could feel her desire growing from being pressed against his body. Her hands were remembering the feel of his smooth skin moving over hard muscle and she remembered the taste of him...  
  
*Better watch it, chere, we gonna wreck you keep dat up.*  
  
His amusement flowed through her, causing her to smile as she realized he'd been more than aware of her thoughts. *I think the movie idea is quite nice.*  
  
They soon pulled into a Blockbuster and walked inside, hand in hand. Strolling up and down the aisles, they cheerfully argued over movies with Remy quickly vetoing anything that had been shown on Lifetime and Betsy immediately pushing him past the Playboy section. They finally agreed on some good action movies and grabbed several bags of microwave popcorn and bottles of soda before heading up to the register, arms around each other's waists. Standing in line, Betsy looked around, noticing several people look over at them and she smiled.  
  
Placing a hand along Remy's jaw, she gently pulled him down for a kiss. *Show me.*  
  
He pulled her close, kissing her passionately as he opened the link further, feeding her the feelings he was picking up around them. There were the dark feelings of envy and the brightness of lust swirling around her but, through it all, was the steadiness of Remy's feelings, anchoring her with his affection and concern. Betsy pressed closer against him, her hands buried in his soft hair, one leg wrapping around his, carressing his calf with the side of her foot.  
  
Remy pulled back, breaking the kiss and turning the link down to almost none, surprising Betsy. She would have fallen but his arm was still around her tightly as he leaned down and pressed their foreheads together. *We gotta tone down 'til we get to de hotel.*  
  
*Why, we were not bothering anybody.* She was sure Remy could feel her humor as she continued, *Actually, I think they will be disappointed we stopped.*  
  
*Some. But we makin' some real unhappy. Don' wan' trouble.*  
  
Betsy smiled in amused disbelief. She had not felt any negativity. Even the envy had not been hurtful and she was about to tell him so when something occured to her. *You were blocking some.*  
  
Remy's lack of response was all the answer she needed.  
  
*You are blocking the negative emotions.*  
  
He pulled back and stared into her eyes, his face serious. *Oui. Ya don' need ta feel dat.*  
  
Betsy broke eye contact long enough to realize the line had advanced without them and they quickly moved forward. Inside she was considering what he had said. After the club, she had wondered why he tried to lock away his empathy. She had enjoyed the feelings surrounding her. Thinking back, though, he had said that the negative emotions at the mansion hurt and she looked at him with sympathy. He was trying not to hurt her while giving her what she asked and she was beginning to see why he locked himself away so much. Even someone's disappointment over not receiving a letter must be painful for him to be around and life was full of disappointments, large and small.  
  
Remy, sensing her mood, smiled down at her and kissed her lightly on the nose. *Stop dat. No wastin' de night by bein' sad.*pressed tightly against his side, pushing the dismal thoughts out of her head. Time enough for that later.  
  
Once outside, Remy stowed the tapes and snacks in the bike's saddle bags and they were off to find a nice hotel. They finally found one and quickly settled themselves side by side, Betsy's head pillowed on his shoulder, as the movie began.  
  
The only light in the room was from the t.v. and the darkness and the comfort of her position soon had her falling asleep. She never saw the end of the movie as she closed her eyes, letting the hand softly rubbing her back relax her into sleep.  
  
When Betsy woke up later, the t.v. was still the only light in the room and the sound was on low. Remy's arm was still wrapped around her while his other hand lay across his stomach, holding the remote control loosely. His breathing was deep and even, telling her he had fallen asleep also. Looking up into his sleeping face, she noticed how much younger he looked when asleep, the usual wariness in his face relaxed and she gently reached up to trace his features. Her fingertips caressed his soft lips and they parted softly under her touch. Trailing light touches up his face, she softly stroked his dark hair away from his face before reaching up and tasting those softly parted lips.  
  
He tasted as good as she remembered and she continued to softly stroke his face as she pulled back, breaking the kiss.  
  
"Mmm, chere." His eyes opened slowly and he stared into her eyes with affection and a quiet happiness.  
  
Cupping her face, he brought their lips together once again, his tongue softly licking her lips, asking for entrance which she immediately allowed. They slowly tasted each other, tongues wrestling and exploring as his hand slowly petted her from shoulder to knee. Wrapping his hands around her thigh, just above her knee, he softly pulled her leg up over his waist. If she shifted a few inches over, she would be straddling him and she quickly moved those few inches. Burying her hands in his long auburn hair, she kept him prisoner as she kissed him hard, passion burning in her veins and filling her mind as the link opened wide once again.  
  
His hands wrapped around her sides, stroking up and down, his thumbs brushing the sides of her breast with each pass, moving forward until they began to massage her aching nipples. Her cry of pleasure was swallowed by his hungry mouth. Her hips rubbed over his erection, seeking the friction she needed so desperately and his pleasure spiked through her as he rubbed his groin against hers, seeking more as well. The image of them their clothes being removed flashed between them, though neither could say who had sent it. It was what they both wanted and they quickly went about getting it.  
  
Betsy stared down into his fiery eyes as they broke apart , breathing hard. Remy's clever hands already had her blouse unbuttoned and he was pushing it down her arms slowly, his burning gaze almost a physical touch as his gaze roamed her exposed body, as he dropped the material off the bed.. Betsy tugged at the hem of his shirt forcing him to sit up and his hands began to immediately work on the clasp of her bra before he was forced to release her long enough to pull his arms and head out of the shirt which was then tossed to the side, her bra following soon after.  
  
Remy's hands immediately cupped her exposed breasts, suckling and Betsy gripped at his head and shoulders, arching her body against his hot mouth. She ground herself against his erection in frustration and she could feel as well as hear his growl of pained arousal. He lay back and began to work on removing her pants, luckily their shoes had been taken off before the movie. After some desperate squirming a steadying hand and thanks for training that had left both of them very limber, they managed to get the last of their clothes removed without Betsy leaving her position over his hips.  
  
His hands stroked over her body, rubbing her nipples, teasing her clit, and pressing the condom package into her palm. She quickly rolled it over him, as he continued to touch and tease her body and mind. His hands and empathy stoking the burning desire inside her into a bonfire and she was almost shaking with need as she lifted her hips and guided herself over him, taking him inside her.  
  
Remy arched in pleasure as he felt hot and tight around him, his hands gripping her hips desperately. "Chere!"  
  
Betsy began to rock her hips over him, reveling in the feeling building inside her and his pleasure pouring over her. Her hands roamed his chest, memorizing its contours before she reached back, massaging his sac and causing him to buck underneath her, his last threads of control breaking as he reached up to stroke her face. She tilted her head and took his fingers into her mouth sucking on them as she massaged his thighs and the sensitive skin around his balls, breaking his last threads of control and his release hit her hard and fast. Color bursts formed behind her eyelids as her entire body tightened almost painfully in ecstasy that just kept coming, flowing through her to him and back again until their was nothing but the two of them joined in body and mind in pleasure. 


	19. Chapter 19

Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - Of course I read your mind, it's such a fun place! :-) I'm glad you like it. Don't worry though, I'm not done torturing Warren yet.  
  
girlonthm00n - Cool, a hyper reader. Glad to have you.  
  
MagnusXXN - You're right, Warren's not going to be happy at all and he's not going to be shy about showing it. Like I said, I'm not done with him, yet. I'm also not done with Rogue and the rest either.  
  
BJ2 - Welcome. I like getting new readers as much as I like keeping my veteren readers. I'm glad you like Betsy. I think she got a raw deal in the X-men because, if you look at her in other series, she's actually quite interesting, more multi-faceted.  
  
***********************************  
  
Chapter 19  
  
They slept well into the morning, wrapped in each other's arms, sated and comfortable. Once they finally woke, it took them even longer to actually get out of the bed, content to lay there sleepily sharing kisses and soft touches. The link was still open and pleasant feelings of affection and joy slid back and forth between them.  
  
*Chere. Tres bien.*  
  
Betsy smiled but did not pause in her mouth's languid exploration of his lightly stubbled jaw. *You taste good.*  
  
His hands continued to pet her hair, massaging her scalp. *So do you.*  
  
A light pang of hunger began to intrude along their link and Remy smiled at her. *Don' know which of us dat is, but looks like we need ta eat.*  
  
*Ah ha! Now I know how to make sure you eat, just be completely unladylike and let you know when I am hungry.*  
  
He kissed her deeply, softly. *Non, you always a lady.*  
  
They reluctantly parted and cleaned up as best they could before paying the hotel bill and stopping at a nearby restaurant for an early lunch. Betsy waited until after they had eaten before reaching across the table and taking Remy's hand. *Remy.*  
  
*Oui?* He could sense her nervousness and wrapped his hands around hers comfortingly.  
  
*When we get back, I want you to do something for me. I know it will be hard, but...*  
  
Remy could feer her anxiety increase and it began to scare him. "Chere, what are you wantin'?" He spoke out loud, toning down the link in case what she was wanting was to leave him. Self disgust filled him. She had said she would not leave him like this and he knew he should trust her, wanted to trust her. However, the fear was always there, unreasonable, unwanted, but still there.  
  
Betsy felt the link fading but, as was normal now, it did not shut down all the way. She was beginning to wonder if it could be shut down anymore and, even if it could, did she want it to. Her hands tightened around Remy's, feeling the thin thread of anxiety over the link, knowing he must be feeling hers. "I want you to let Hank give you a physical."  
  
He jerked back in surprise and her grip on his hand tightened, keeping him in the chair. She could feel his panic at her request and took it as more confirmation of her suspicions. "Non! Don' like de med lab. Don wan' a check-up. Don' need it."  
  
"Remy, please, hear me out." His body was still tense and anxious but he remained seated. "You said you have not had a physical in years. I assume that means not since Sinister's labs, correct?"  
  
"Oui."  
  
Betsy was beginning to wish she had done this somewhere less public so she could hold him, give him more physical comfort. As it was, all she could do for him was stoke his hand and focus on her concern for him. "Tell me if I am wrong but I think it was his labs that gave you this...apprehension of labs."  
  
"Why not jus' say it? You t'ink Remy's scared of de labs."  
  
Betsy nodded.  
  
His eyes hardened for several moments and Betsy remained quiet, concerned, worried. He finally dropped his gaze to thier joined hands and the link increased as he softly stroked her shields, asking for admittance. *You're right. De labs scare Remy bad.*  
  
*It is no shame. You are not the only one to fear labs because of experiments.* Actually Betsy believed it went deeper than that but she did not say so. *Remy, I am worried about you. I want to make sure you are getting well, that there is no hidden physical damage...or disease.* Almost against her will, her distaste for the inconvenience of the condoms flowed over the link, making Remy smile.  
  
*Don' like dem eit'er but not takin' chances wit' you.* He was silent for long moments, considering. Finally, he looked up at her with apprehensive but determined eyes. *You come to de lab wit' Remy?*  
  
*Yes, I will be there to hold your hand and, when you get a clean bill of health,* Her smile became wicked, *I will hold something else.*  
  
His lips turned up in an answering smile, just as wicked. *Remy gonna hold ya to dat.*  
  
*Good, now let us go home, the sooner we get the exam over with...*  
  
His smile turned rueful, *De sooner we can get yelled at.*  
  
The previous night's confrontations came back suddenly and Betsy frowned. There were going to be some very unhappy people waiting for them.  
  
Remy lifted her hand and pressed a kiss against her palm. *Don' worry, chere, Remy back you up. We in dis toget'er.*  
  
They shared a comforting smile before paying the check and leaving for the mansion.  
  
Betsy ran her fingers through her wind blown hair as she dismounted the bike in the garage. "That is it," She gave Remy a mock glare, "You are packing some necessities on that bike, especially a brush."  
  
Remy laughed at her, his amusment tickling her brain, "Oui, chere, Remy get right on dat."  
  
An image of him brushing her hair flashed through her mind and she smiled at his silent offer even as she planted her hands on her hips, trying to look severe. "You are just trying to get out of seeing Hank."  
  
"Non, if Remy was lookin' ta do dat, he offer dis..." His voice had lowered and his expression was wicked as he sent Betsy images of her spread out over the hood of Scott's car, writhing in pleasure under his mouth.  
  
A bolt of pure heat and desire speared through her and her body trembled with it, tempted by it. Not trusting her voice, she sent, *It would be more action than that vehicle has ever seen.*  
  
Remy's smile became even more wicked. *Remy wouldn' say dat.*  
  
*What do you mean? What do you know?*  
  
Remy's grin became wider as he turned and began to walk casually to the door. "Le's see, Henri's lab be dis way, oui?"  
  
Betsy could feel mischief dancing over the link but could not restrain her curiousity. "Remy, what did you mean by that?"  
  
"Mean by what?" Remy's eyes were dancing as he looked down at her walking by his side. He could feel the curiousity building inside her. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he smiled innocently, "Remy didn' say he knew anyt'ing, jus' dat he wouldn' say dat."  
  
Betsy wrapped her arm around his waist companionably still trying to glare. She only succeeded in stifling her laughter and knew that Remy was feeling it over the link anyway. "You are hiding something, I know it."  
  
"Swamp rat's real good at hidin' things." Rogue was standing in the foyer as they passed it on their way to the elevator. Neither of them acknowledged her presence.  
  
"Remy don' know what ya talkin' bout. 'E jus' a simple boy from N'Awlins. Too innocent to have seen..." He purposefully left the sentance tantilizingly unfinished, smiling even wider as Betsy rolled her eyes in exasperation.  
  
"Liar." The affection in her tone and over the link belied the harsh word.  
  
"And thief, and murderer, and traitor!" Warren was equally ignored as the laughing pair continued through the foyer toward the infirmary.  
  
"Moi?"  
  
Betsy could no longer keep her laughter inside as he looked down at her with exagerrated innocence. "Yes, you."  
  
"See, Warren, I toldja somethin' was goin' on between them." This comment was also ignored.  
  
Betsy looked up at the Cajun accusingly. "You are only doing this because you have to go see Hank."  
  
"Oui, ain' gonna get a sucker from de doctor, so I gotta do somet'ing make me feel better." Remy grinned down at her without remorse as he pushed the elevator button. "Dis better dan candy anyway."  
  
The elevator doors closed behind them before they could hear any more comments from their two teammates.  
  
Remy's good mood lasted until the elevator opened in a sub-basement and they were standing before the infirmary doors. *Tell Remy 'gain why he doin' dis?*  
  
Betsy tightened her arm around his waist. *You are doing it for two reasons. One, to relieve my worries and, two, for sex.*  
  
It earned her a half-smile from him. *Remy good wit' de second reason.*  
  
Betsy smiled reassuringly and they stepped into Dr. McCoy's domain.  
  
The blue-furred genius did a double take of surprise when he saw who had just stepped into his infirmary. Betsy was not one to come down for idle chitchat and Remy was not one to come down unless he was unconcious. He was immediately worried. "May I help you?"  
  
Remy looked on the verge of making a break for it so Hank was not surprised that it was Betsy who answered. "Remy needs a full physical, including a cat scan."  
  
Hank nodded and immediately gestured Remy to a changing room, handing him a pair hospital pajamas. He did not use hospital gowns anymore. The X-women did not like the fact they opened all the way in the back and Logan had a habit of shredding them 'accidently' when Hank would hand them to him.  
  
Remy took the material reluctantly, turning a reproachful look toward Betsy. She sent comfort through the link, trying to soothe him. *It will be fine, I am here.*  
  
Remy lay his head against hers for a moment before sighing and walking into the changing room. Once he had closed the door behind him, Hank immediately turned his attention to Betsy. "Though I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, how..."  
  
Betsy held up a hand to stop the question, she had something more important to discuss. "Will a cat scan reveal any changes done to his brain or spinal cord?"  
  
Hank's face reflected his confusion. "Well, yes. Is there something I should be looking for?"  
  
"I...am not sure." Her eyes bore into his. "This is all under the heading of patient confidentiality, correct?"  
  
"Yes. Of course." There was one thing everyone knew about Hank. He was a physician first and X-man second. When those two parts of his life came in conflict, it was always the physician that won and that was what caused Betsy to trust him.  
  
"I...suspect that something was done to him or installed. It would be old, but there may still be a trace of it."  
  
His eyes were very serious and worried. "It would aid me if you could share these suspicions with me more fully. It will be easier if I know what I am looking for."  
  
Betsy cast a glance at the closed door. She needed to get this done quickly, not wanting to worry Remy with her suspicions. "I think Sinister did something to him during the Massacre."  
  
"May I ask why you suspect this?"  
  
"Several reasons but none I can go into right now. We do not have the time, just, please, check very thoroughly."  
  
He nodded. "I will. Trust me, I have been worried about him since Antartica. I have fear he is not as healthy as he would have us believe."  
  
Betsy's eyes were dark as she softly replied, "Trust me, he is not." 


	20. Chapter 20

Mail Call  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - You are not allowed to go on vacation. I don't know what I'll do without you. :-) No sodas and cookies. (sniff, sniff) I hope you'll have a good time, though.  
  
TuxedoNinja - Welcome to my demented little mind. Glad to be able to help. ;-)  
  
samson - I like Hank too but he doesn't fit into most of my stories because he always hangs out with people I don't like.  
  
tribalbutterfly - Thank you and welcome to the story. Wanna know something funny? I'm actually a fan of Rogue, too. However, since this story takes place with her leaving Remy to die...well that makes her the bad girl of the story.  
  
a fan - I'm not gonna leave it like that. We still have much more to deal with.  
  
MagnusXXN - Yea! Another constructive review. I hate to do it but it's going to take at least a day for Hank to find anything. However, you are right, he will make a discovery.  
  
****************************  
  
Chapter 20  
  
The two of them were silent for the next several minutes before Remy finally emerged from the changing room, the shapeless shirt and pants hanging off his lean frame. His head was done and Betsy could feel the struggle he was going through to remain in control, to keep even a semblance of calm. She immediately lay a comforting hand on his back allowing her affection for him to flood down the link. Her worry, she tried to keep to herself as much as possible. He had enough of his own at the moment, he did not need hers.  
  
Hank motioned to one of the beds, his voice forcibly chipper as he said, "Now, if you'll just take a seat right over here, Mr. LeBeau, we can begin."  
  
Betsy felt him flinch at the mention of his last name and she caught a flash of the tall, pale, black armored scientist known as Mr. Sinister gazing at him with cold red eyes. 'Get on the table, LeBeau.'  
  
*So...what kind of lollipop did you want anyway?*  
  
He glanced at her in surprise and confusion, *Quoi?*  
  
*Well, as you said, one usally gets candy when one is a good boy at the doctor's. So, what kind would you want?*  
  
He smiled at her in gratitude as he sat on the bed Hank had indicated. Betsy sat beside him and held his hand in both of hers as the furry doctor began the exam, taking his temperature, weight, pulse, etc. and making notes in new medical chart. Remy tolerated it all rather well.  
  
The cat scan was a problem, the confined space and shifting lights too much like Sinister's lab for Remy's comfort, but Betsy kept up a string of stories from her childhood to keep him distracted and he emerged shaky but still relatively calm.  
  
Hank getting blood samples, however, was an entirely different matter. Remy's stress levels spiked as Hank brought out the needle and Betsy could sense his imminent refusal. Quickly grabbing the front of the hospital shirt he wore, she pressed her mouth to his fiercely, molding her body to his. She focused on the pleasure of their two nights together, sending him images of them that he responded to almost immediately. His arms wrapped around her waist tightly as he took control of the kiss. Betsy focused on his pleasure, sucking on his tongue when it entered hers to taste and slowly grinding her body against his. Releasing her hold on his shirt she stroked his body and face with one hand as her other reached back and gently circled his wrist, pulling his arm away from her and holding it out to Hank, sending, *Hurry and get the samples you need.*  
  
Hank immediately shoved the sleeve up over Remy's elbow, and quickly wrapping a tourniquet around his arm before grasping Remy's forearm firmly. Betsy released Remy's wrist, wrapping her arms around his chest and over his shoulders holding him tightly to keep him still. He flinched violently, trying to escape, when Hank inserted the needle into his vein but, between the two of them, they kept the Cajun stationary. Betsy concnetrated on sending him more images, promises, comfort. *Shhh, it is alright, trust me, focus on me.*  
  
Remy was trying, he really was. His grip around her was painfully tight and he broke the kiss to bury his face against her neck. He was shaking with the need to escape and images of machines out of a Frankenstein movie, tables with restraints, and Sinisiter, smiling down at him with sharp pointed teeth kept flashing through his mind. She fought them as best she could, using anything she could think of, riding on his bike through the cool night, Ororo's look of relief and affection when she had reconciled with him, his and Betsy's laughter in bed and out, any pleasant shared memory was brought up and sent.  
  
Finally, Hank finished and pulled out the needle before applying a bandaid. He had removed the tourniquet earlier but neither of them had noticed and he quickly put all his tools away before saying, "I have everything I need." Remy did not respond in any way other than wrapping his freed arm around Betsy. "If you would like to get dressed..." Hank looked at them uncomfortably. He was truly regretful of the trauma he had caused the young man but was unsure of what to do to help. He hated this feeling, this seeing pain and being unable to do anything about it. It was always his personal hell when he could not soothe the suffering around him. It was also the cause of one of his greatest shames. He had ignored Remy just as the rest of the house had. Filled with shame for the team's actions and unable to think of the perfect words to make everything alright, he had done nothing.  
  
Betsy looked over and Hank did not even try to hide the remose on his face. To his surprise, she gave him a brief smile before turning her head and pressing her temple against Gambit's, closing her eyes.  
  
*Remy, are your walls active?* It was a redundant question. Of course they were at their strongest here in the mansion, the source of so much negative emotions.  
  
*Oui, chere. Jus' give Remy anot'er momen' and he get dressed so we can get outta here.*  
  
*Actually, I think you should lower them. Just a bit.*  
  
His first instinct was to protest, vehemently. However, this was Betsy. She had her reasons for the things she asked. He wanted to trust her, needed to. Still...*How 'just a bit'.*  
  
*Just this room, just me and Hank. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.*  
  
*No such t'ing.* Despite his protest, he burrowed his face further into her hair and lowered his shields a tiny fraction. She could tell that what he felt shocked him, that he had been expecting at most tolerance from the doctor. Instead he felt the man's remorse and concern. *Chere, 'e don't hate m'.*  
  
*No. I do not think he ever did. He is, however, concerned about you.*  
  
Remy raised his head and looked at Hank who cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes, well, as I was saying, you can get dressed and then I would advise you to rest. I should have the results by tomorrow."  
  
"Merci, Hank."  
  
Betsy was sure the blue mutant was blushing under his fur, uncomfortable with the gratitude. "If there is anything I can do..." Hank's discomfort grew as he thought about how he should have made that offer much sooner and he was unable to look Remy in the eye. His gaze dropped to the floor instead.  
  
Remy pulled away from Betsy, stepping closer to the scientist, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Merci, y' already doin' more dan ya know."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
They stood in awkward silence for few more moments before Remy turned and made his way, still slightly unsteady, to the changing room.  
  
Hank glanced at Betsy, "I...I'm going to get started on those tests. I'll let you both know as soon as I find out anything."  
  
"Thank you." Betsy gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
"He really needs to rest. I would keep him here but that would not benefit him."  
  
Betsy continued to smile at him, gently. "No, it would not. Do not worry, Hank, I will make sure he rests. Although, just in case, may I assume it is 'Doctor's orders' that he rest."  
  
Hank returned his smile. "Yes. I do not think he should engage in any training sessions until we have all his test results and I will inform Scott and the Professor of my decision." He paused and his voice was much more uncertain when he continued. "I am...glad that the two of you have become...close."  
  
"So am I."  
  
There were some more minutes of uncomfortable silence before Hank asked, "Does he know about your suspicions?"  
  
"No. I do not want to worry him or raise his hopes unless I am more certain."  
  
"I...can understand." Hank turned to his machines, leaving Betsy to wait alone for Remy to finally emerge, wrapped once again in his old beaten coat.  
  
Without a word, they walked out of the infirmary, their arms wrapped around one another's waist. Remy felt numb. The physical had been worse for him than she could have imagined and he really needed to rest. In his present state, she did not think it would take much to put him to sleep. He did not even notice when, in the elevator, she pushed the button for the residential floors rather than the ground floor. He allowed her to guide him down the hallway in a zombie like state, and she was glad the X-men were a team full of active people, preferring the outdoors, so that they did not encounter anyone on their way to her room. Of course it also helped that her room, like Logan's, Ororo's, and Remy's was set well apart from the others.  
  
Entering her room, she helped him sit on her bed before quickly closing and locking her door. When she returned, he reached for her, pulling her to stand between his thighs before wrapping his arms around her hips and laying his head against her stomach. Betsy quietly stroked his hair.  
  
*Remy.*  
  
"Hmmm."  
  
She could feel his shields tightening again, but was not offended. He was tired and vulnerable and his shields were just reverting to their natural state, active, strong, and tight. Their link was still open but Betsy chose not to use it at the moment, to give him greater privacy in which to gather himself back together. "Remy, let me help you get your coat off. You need to sleep."  
  
He turned his face against her stomach, hiding his face as he mumbled a negative.  
  
"Shh, how about I give you a nice back rub? And some hot tea or hot cocoa? Does that sound good?"  
  
"Non, don' leave."  
  
"I will not leave. I will ask Ororo to bring it up, or Logan."  
  
"Don' wan' dem ta see me like dis." His arms around her tightened and she could feel his anxiety rising.  
  
He was not being reasonable but that was to be expected. He had just relived one of his own private hells. "Shhh, no one else will see you. I will ask Hank to bring it up and leave it outside. He will not come inside. Maybe a hot bath." Betsy felt his interest perk up. "Yes, you can relax in a hot bath and drink something nice and soothing while I give you a back rub. Does that sound good?"  
  
He nodded slightly as his hands rubbed over her lower back and thighs.  
  
"Good, you start getting undressed and I will go start the bath. Did you want tea or cocoa?"  
  
"Chocolate." She took a step back but his hands on her hips still held her prisoner. Pressing a kiss against her stomach, he murmured, "Merci, chere, je vous aime, merci..." His next words were lost as he pressed another kiss against her, nuzzling her through her shirt.  
  
Betsy continued to stroke his hair as she struggled to find her voice again. "Come on, Remy, let's get you that hot bath."  
  
He nodded listlessly and released her as he began to shrug out of his coat. 


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21  
  
Hank was more than willing to fill Betsy's request. In fact, he had gone above and beyond by providing a pot of tea and a thermos of hot chocolate along with several sandwiches and cookies. He had waved aside her gratitude, stating that he was glad to be able to do something to help and gave her a rundown on what he had found so far. Remy was too thin and slightly malnourished, which he was sure Betsy had already guessed. The blood tests were coming along quickly and Hank was just preparing to go over the cat scans. He assured her, once again, that he would call her immediately upon finding anything. She thanked him once again and slipped back into her room with the tray.  
  
Locking the door once again, she placed the tray on her dresser before carrying the two mugs into the bathroom. Remy lay back in the large tub, his eyes closed, looking relaxed but Betsy could feel the tension that still remained in his mind. He smiled and sat up when she pressed the hot mug into his hands and Betsy moved to sit on the tub's edge, massaging the tense muscles through his shoulders and back. It did not take long before his mind became relaxed and fuzzy and she could feel the sleepiness overcoming him.  
  
"Ready for bed?"  
  
He nodded sleepily and she took the mug from his relaxed fingers and handed him a towel as he stood up. After getting him dry, Betsy steered her half- asleep charge to the bed and tucked him in, kissing him softly before grabbing one of her nightgowns and retreating into the bathroom to change. It was not due to modesty, not really. After all, he had seen all of her, more than once but she needed some distance, some time alone as her mind finally began to process his last words. 'Je vous aime'. She was not fluent in French but she knew what he had said. Je vous aime. I love you.  
  
Her mind whirled. Had he meant it? Was it just because of today? Would he even remember saying it? Did she want him to? She liked him. That was a certainty. She liked talking with him, being with him. He was a wonderful lover and friend but love, actual love?  
  
Betsy shook her head, firmly bringing her thoughts to a stop. Remy was vulnerable, exhausted, she doubted he would remember anything and, if he did, she would deal with that later. Besides, if she worried about it too much, she would guarantee that he would remember it. The link would make sure of that. So, put off the words, focus on the now, on his health, his needs.  
  
Feeling better at having a firm plan in mind, she quickly changed into the nightgown and slipped into the bed beside Remy. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him tight and joined him in sleep.  
  
The next morning dawned bright and sunny and Betsy woke up wrapped in Remy's arms as he lazily nuzzled and kissed her. She returned the kisses happily.  
  
"Mornin', chere."  
  
"Morning." Their kisses became deeper until Betsy pulled back playfully. "Much as I like this, I have something to tell you."  
  
He smiled at her, quirking an eyebrow questioningly. "You got Remy's full attention." His hand slid over her hip, carressing her through the silk of her gown.  
  
Betsy laughed and captured his hand, bringing it up to her mouth for a quick kiss before laying it against his chest. "We will continue that later, right now, though, I have to tell you something very important, I am hungry."  
  
Remy's eyes danced with laughter as he pulled away from her. "Non, not dat. Anyt'ing but dat. You one cranky femme when you hungry."  
  
Betsy gasped in outrage and immediately grabbed a pillow, cheerfully swatting him with it. Remy attempted to defend himself but was hampered by his laughter. Of couse her aim was off due to her own laughter and it was not long before they collapsed onto the bed, out of breath, eyes dancing. Several minutes later, once they managed to catch their breath, they kissed quickly before rolling off the bed. Remy pulled on his pants and shirt, gathering the rest in a bundle before going to his room to quickly clean up and change, leaving Betsy to do the same.  
  
She had just finished her make-up when her intercom went off. "Betsy, we are having a meeting in five minutes in the common room." Scott's voice had an angry edge to it but Betsy was not intimidated.  
  
"I will need more than 5 minutes. I have not eaten breakfast yet."  
  
"You should have thought of that earlier."  
  
"You should have warned me about the meeting earlier."  
  
There was a pause and she could imagine him grinding his teeth. "Five minutes."  
  
Betsy's stubbornness raised its head. The meeting would have to include Remy as well and Hank had said he was malnourished. "After breakfast." She shut off the intercom and grabbed the tray, leaving her room before he could respond. *Remy?*  
  
*Oui, chere.*  
  
*Where are you?*  
  
*M'old room. Hadn' really moved anyt'ing out yet.*  
  
Betsy turned and began walking down the hall to his room. *Have you heard about a meeting?*  
  
*Non. But de probably callin' de boat house. Remy not supposed t'be in de mansion.*  
  
*True.*  
  
*When is de meetin'.*  
  
*In less than five minutes according to Scott. We, however, are going to be late.*  
  
*Gonna make dem mad.*  
  
*I do not care. Hank spoke to me when he brought the hot chocolate last night. He says you are underweight and suffering slight malnourishment. Therefore, we are eating first. Your health is more important than their peace of mind.* She could feel a wave of affection and gratitude wash over her, as well as the thought that he did not deserve her kindness. *Besides, you would not want me to be 'cranky' at the meeting, would you.*  
  
She had reached his door and he immediately stepped out to greet her, smiling. *Non, dat be bad, tres, tres bad.*  
  
He gallantly took the tray from her and offered her his arm. Betsy ignored it, wrapping her arm around his waist instead. He returned the gesture and they headed down to the kitchen together.  
  
Betsy could sense the minds in the common room as they passed it so she knew the rest of the team had gathered there. However, they would just have to wait. In the kitchen, Remy disposed of the uneaten food on the tray while Betsy put some english muffins in the toaster oven. A few minutes later and the two of them were eating the warm breads with jam, drinking fresh coffee and ignoring the fact that they were late. 


	22. Chapter 22

MagnusXXN - Cyclops did try to call Remy. Unfortunately, no one except Betsy and Hank knew Remy was in the mansion. So, Cyke, was calling the boathouse. This chapter, however, should be fun for the poor man. He takes his responsibility for the team so very serious.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - All bribes are welcome! Great job with the fan videos on your site, I've never seen anything like them on any other fan site.  
  
Kalika - Thank you. I love to write and my muses are always around somewhere.  
  
*****************************  
  
Chapter 22  
  
They were just finishing their breakfast when they heard the door to the study slam open followed by approaching heavy footfalls. The dining room doors were shoved open and Scott stood there, every muscle tense and angry. He turned his glare on Betsy first, "I said 5 minutes." His voice was soft but hard, advertising his anger quite clearly.  
  
"Yes, I remember. I also remember that I told you I would be there after I ate breakfast."  
  
Scott bristled quite obvioiusly at Betsy's off hand tone. His voice began to rise in anger. "When I give an order, I expect it to be carried out."  
  
Betsy felt movement along the link and knew Remy was using her friendship to ward off Scott's anger. He was also sending his own affection, perhaps more, back to her, reassuring her. Her own voice became hard and she met his glare levelly with one of her own. "And I, except in cases of emergency, expect to be given more than 5 minutes warning when my presence is needed. If you wish me to extend the courtesy of punctuality, you will give me a certain amount of courtesy. If you had called me earlier, I would be in their on time, however, you did not so I am not."  
  
They held each other's gaze for several minutes. Scott glanced at Remy before looking back at her. "The least you could have done is tell Gambit to be on time." He turned to look at the Cajun. "I have been trying to reach you for over 20 minutes. Just because you are not in the mansion does not excuse you from your duties."  
  
Remy casually took a sip of coffee before answering, "Neva' said it did. Woulda' answered but Remy wasn' in de boathouse so Remy couldn' hear de phone."  
  
Scott paused, momentarily derailed by this information. "Then where were you?"  
  
Remy gave a nonchalant shrug. "Aroun'."  
  
"Damn it, you can't just wander off whenever you please!"  
  
Betsy decided to head this confrontation off. Remy did not need this much negativity focussed on him so she prepared to get Scott's attention back onto her and off the Cajun. Before she could think of anything, however, Remy reached out and took her hand.  
  
*Non. Don'.*  
  
*Remy, your empathy...Was I mistaken that negative emotions are painful to you?*  
  
*Non, you were righ'. But Remy can deal wit' it.* He interlaced their fingers and his thumb rubbed over the side of her hand affectionately. "Didn' know Remy was under house arrest."  
  
"You're not. Stop trying to make me into the bad guy."  
  
"'M actually not, Cyke, but Remy don' like bein' yelled at when he not done anyt'ing wrong."  
  
"You didn't answer the phone."  
  
"If Remy not in de boathouse, den he can' hear it 'nd he can' answer. Now Remy knows." He took another sip of coffee before looking at Betsy. "Y'done?"  
  
She smiled and gripped his hand tighter. "Yes, I think we are ready unless Scott would like to allow us the time to put up our dishes."  
  
"The study. Now." He did not yell the commands but his anger was still very apparent.  
  
The two of them stood up but did not release one another's hand. *I am proud of you.*  
  
Remy raised an eyebrow at her in silent question.  
  
*You stood up for yourself.*  
  
He smiled and raised her hand to his lips briefly. *Merci, 's cause of you so don' wander too far.*  
  
They followed Scott into the study where the rest were waiting for them. Warren sat between Jean and Bobby on one of the couches while Rogue and Beast sat in nearby chairs. Professor Xavier was behind his desk, as usual, and Ororo sat on the other couch with Logan leaning on the window behind her. Upon entering, Scott sat on the arm of the couch next to his fiancee, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while she reached up to lay a hand on his leg. Remy and Betsy sat beside Ororo, who hugged Remy in greeting.  
  
The mood of the room was ugly. One did not have to be an empath to realize that but Betsy and Remy ignored it, returning Logan and Ororo's greetings calmly before turning their attention to Scott.  
  
"Alright, people, there is obviously some deep problems going on here and we need to get past it, as a team."  
  
Betsy could feel Remy's defenses rising and she squeezed his hand affectionately.  
  
"The professor, Jean, Ororo, and I have discussed this and we feel that it would be best to get the issues out and dealt with and we feel we should begin with the largest problem. Once that is taken care of everything else should just fall into place."  
  
Betsy glanced over at Ororo and found her expression stony. It did not look like the concensus was as unanimous as Scott was inferring. The weather mutant had reached out and taken Remy's other hand, holding it tightly but Betsy could not tell if it was to give or receive reassurance.  
  
"So, Remy, we are now ready to hear your version of the Massacre. You now have a chance to defend yourself."  
  
"Dis court is just as stacked as Eric de Red's."  
  
"Besides," Betsy spoke up, "It happened before Remy joined the X-men. What right have we to judge his actions of that time. Traditionally, we only judge those actions taken while an individual is part of the team." She had honestly hoped she could have put this off for some time, at least until after she had spoken to Hank.  
  
Jean glared at her. "What do you mean 'traditionally'?"  
  
Betsy did not try to curb her sneer. "There are others here guilty of severe crimes that have not had to face a trial like this and the usual excuse was that it happened while they were not an X-man."  
  
"It's already been established that Logan..."  
  
"I am not speaking of Logan. I am speaking of those who have tried, convicted, and attempted to execute Remy."  
  
"Remy, it it?" Warren sneered at her, blue eyes burning with hatred. "You two certainly got chummy real quick, or was it that quick?"  
  
Betsy glared back, hearing the inferred accusation. "If you wish to accuse me of something, say it out right."  
  
"You were cheating on me! Admit it!"  
  
Betsy laughed. She could not help it. It was not a cold sneering laught but one of genuine amusement and most of the room stared at her increduously. Remy, however, caught the joke and smiled in his own amusement. "Warren, I was not the one who disappeared with members of the opposite sex into private locked rooms while we were together."  
  
"Oh, and I guess you two were sitting in some restaurant night before last."  
  
Betsy laughed again, but there was less amusement. "Warren, you and I have not been together since our fight on the stairs when you turned away from me."  
  
Warren looked at her in disbelief. "That was not a break-up."  
  
"Yes, it was. You allowed me to be ridiculed and abused by others even when I called your name, asking for help, or at least acknowledgement. Lovers do not do that to each other, neither do friends. We were over the moment you let me walk away while you were being comforted by two other women." Betsy could feel her anger rising with her embarrassment. She hated discussing all this in public as it was not the other's business. However, at the moment it was unavoidable.  
  
Warren's eyes went from shocked to confused to angry. "That does not explain your disappearance the previous night and that day. As I remember, that was what our fight was about."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Were you with him."  
  
The room was silent as most everyone held their breath, waiting for her answer. "Yes. We went to a restaurant, a grocery store, and a bar. All very public places."  
  
There was a gleam of triumph in his eyes. "If it was so innocent, why bother to hide it?"  
  
"'Cause of dis." Remy's voice cut through the room. "You 'nd de ot'ers make it real clear you no like Remy. Didn' wan' her ta have ta go through dis 'nd knew she would. Knew your feelin's 'bout me would overflow on anyone talkin' ta me. Remy wasn' gonna get de one person bein' polite ta 'im in trouble."  
  
"You stay out of this, traitor."  
  
Remy's eyes flashed in anger. "Ain' no traitor. Didn' betray de X-men or de Morlocks. Y'can' betray somethin' y'ain't a part of."  
  
"My wings..."  
  
"Remy didn' do it!"  
  
"You found the Marauders, you brought them together, you're responsible."  
  
Scott called for order. "That's enough, we're going around in circles and this is not what we had in mind. Now, Remy, go ahead and explain."  
  
"Remy jus' did. 'Splained as much as he's goin' to."  
  
The Professor steepled his fingers in front of him. "Now, Remy..."  
  
Ororo broke in, much to everyone's surprise. "Betsy is correct. We have never held our members accountable for what was done outside of team membership. If we do, then there is much more that we will have to discuss here."  
  
Scott looked at her disbelievingly. "Such as?"  
  
Betsy was ready for this. "Such as, Phoenix as Jean Grey destroying populated planets yet the X-men of the time fought for her to continue living. Such as Warren left the X-men and became Death, working for a villian who wishes to destroy most of the world's population, human and mutant alike. Such as Rogue was a terrorist who engaged in several activities and raids ending in the deaths of innocents. Such as the fact that Rogue stole another woman's powers and soul."  
  
"It was an accident!" Rogue was immediately on her feet, fists clenched.  
  
Betsy rose to her feet as well, yelling back, "The permanance, yes. The events that led to the woman's death, no. You went to that bridge. You called her out with the intention of getting into a fight and stealing those powers. You decided to do that all on your own!"  
  
"Don' ya think Ah'd change it if I could."  
  
"No, I do not!" Betsy knew it was a low blow but at that moment, she did not care.  
  
"Ladies, please sit down, this is not getting us anywhere..."  
  
"No," Betsy interrupted, "I think this is one of those core problems."  
  
"Just what are ya accusin' me of?"  
  
"You have never had to face Carol Danvers and apologize for what you did. You have never had to pay for it or for what you did as a terrorist. You have never had to face the people that suffered through your actions on that team. You have made several big, lethal mistakes in your life but you have escaped them all by being an X-man. By looking at what you are now, you do not have to see the trouble your temper has caused others in the past, the things you have done, the people you hurt. You have not had to make amends. However, now that Remy has survived and returned, you have to face your biggest mistake. You left him to die when you were supposed to be on the side of angels. There is no excuse for what you did and, with him here, alive, you can not just forget it. You have to deal with it and that is why you hate him. That is why you have been working to get him thrown out of here, so you can go back to your own little world in which you are in the right, where you are the perfect little heroine and brave victim of your own power."  
  
Rogue snarled at the British woman, preparing to fly at her. Betsy flowed into a combat crouch, psi-knife at the ready.  
  
"Ya bitch! Ya have no idea what ya're talkin' about."  
  
"Oh really? Then why are you so angry?"  
  
"Ah'll shut yo'r lies for good!"  
  
Everyone in the room was frozen as the two powerful women faced off, everyone except for one person. The lean figure stepped between the two women, facing the Southern belle. His hands glowed so fiercely it hurt to look at them. "Femme, you move 'nd you gonna be hurtin'."  
  
Rogue barely spared Remy a glance, still glaring at Betsy over his shoulder. "Yo'r cards cain't hurt me, Swamp Rat."  
  
"One card, non. De whole deck, oui. Two decks, Remy'll put ya in de med lab if ya lucky."  
  
His words seemed to bring the entire room's notice onto him. In each hand was a full deck of cards, charged and ready to be released at Rogue. The slightest twitch and a devastating force would be unleashed. Her green eyes widened as she stared at him. "Ya wouldn'."  
  
"Oui, femme, Remy will. You're not hurtin' Betsy, not gonna be even threatenin' 'er."  
  
"After...After everythin' we were ta each othe'?"  
  
"Wouldn' be remindin' Remy 'bout dat if y'smart."  
  
"Bastard!"  
  
The moment stretched into infinity until Scott stepped forward, interposing himself once again. "Everyone sit down."  
  
It took several minutes but eventually the combatants sat back down and, although Remy decharged the cards, he only put one of the decks away.  
  
Scott was looking exasperated and even the Professor was rubbing his temples. "This is not helping."  
  
Jean rubbed Scotts jean clad thigh in comfort. "Well, it would. It was a sound idea and would be successful if Betsy would stop trying to cause trouble."  
  
Betsy could feel Remy's anger boiling up once again and hurridly covered his hand with hers before he began charging cards again. There was general murmuring in the room but no one seemed to know what to say next.  
  
Ororo finally stood up, gathering everyone's attention. "Personally, Professor, I believe several good points have been brought up and the most important is one I learned myself a few days ago. The death of the Morlocks was a tragedy and is the darkest chapter of our history. We failed our dream and we took greater injuries that day than on any other. I do not think any of us has healed from that and we have all desired someone to pay, someway to take vengence on to make ourselves feel better. We should have found that in Sinister but we have never been able to catch him. I think it was very frustrating for us that we could not avenge what we lost and then, we were presented with another target to blame, Remy. It was easy, it made us feel better, and it was wrong. We were wrong." 


	23. Chapter 23

MagnusXXN - I'm glad you liked the chapter. It was hard to write. Unfortunately, Scott's rationlizing the good of the many versus the good of the one in his reasoning (and listening to Jean). Hank will find something very interesting very soon.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - Yes, ma'am, right away...after I finish my soda and cookies and lollipops and candy so... :-p  
  
chrmdbythecajun - Thank you. I'm glad I could show you Betsy in a different light. She was actually a much more interesting character than the later Marvel writers made her out to be.  
  
Ok...I'll shut up now and give you all what you're actually wanting.  
  
**************************  
  
Chapter 23  
  
Ororo's words left the room in dead silence, each person digesting what she had just said. Having said her piece, the regal mutant sat back down and Remy put the deck of cards away so he could take her hand, squeezing it reassuringly without releasing his hold on Betsy.  
  
It was Professor Xavier who finally broke the silence. "What is your suggestion, then? Are we just to forget this happened?"  
  
Ororo stared back evenly. "That is an impossibility, Charles. However, I do believe that it should no longer be brought up in relation to Remy."  
  
Jean stared at her in disbelief. "We're just to forgive him for his part in the whole Massacre?"  
  
At this point, Hank spoke up for the first time. "I believe we should forgive him as he has forgiven us. He has not asked that any of us stand trial for leaving him in Antartica, for not going back for him. If we are to look at this fairly and make everyone answer for their actions, then we must submit ourselves to his judgement for that. Therefore, if he will allow it to lie, then I believe we must as well and do as Ororo suggests, put our efforts not in hatred of him but in finding the true architect of the Morlock's death, Sinister."  
  
Bobby looked at his old friend reproachfully, "Hank, how can you?"  
  
"A better question, Bobby, is how can I not. There can be no healing without forgiveness."  
  
Rogue stood once again, unable to contain herself. "Cain't ya'll see what the Swamp Rat's doin'? He's turned us all against each other!" Rogue glared daggers at Betsy. "Warren an' Betsy were fine 'til he showed up. We were all fine."  
  
Warren nodded. "Yes, isn't the fact that he stole Betsy from me proof enough of that."  
  
Betsy glared at her blonde ex. "Remy did not steal me, never even made the attempt. You threw me away, Warren. If you miss me, you have noone to blame but yourself. Besides, we were not all fine. We were all sniping at each other long before this happened, we were just hiding it better."  
  
Scott spoke up, once again trying to bring things back on track. "People, let's focus. We need to get this settled."  
  
Hank spoke up, "It can not be settled without forgiveness, Scott, besides has not Remy suffered enough. He almost died..."  
  
Bobby interrupted, "So what? The Morlocks did die!"  
  
"Not all of them, Bobby. We do know one other fact about that night. Marrow survived only because Gambit almost died bringing her out of those tunnels."  
  
"One life does not pay for hundreds!"  
  
"Then how can his death pay for the Morlocks'?"  
  
Bobby opened his mouth to retaliate but nothing came out.  
  
"Is that not what this comes down to." Ororo spoke up once more. "Nothing can make up for what happened. Nothing and nobody can pay enough to make any of what happened right. We can hurt and tear each other to pieces over it or we can work together, use it to give us the resolve to make sure it never happens again."  
  
Professor Xavier sighed. "I think we all need a break to think about what has been said here. We will meet again after supper and perhaps will be able to find a resolution then. Until then, I want everyone to show a degree of self control. No more fights outside this room."  
  
The members of the team all nodded, some more reluctant than others and drifted out in pairs or alone.  
  
"Betsy." Betsy looked up at Ororo. "Please, stay for a moment. I would have a word with you." She raised an eyebrow at Remy and Logan loitering near the door. "Alone."  
  
"I think we're gettin' our butts kicked out o' here, Gumbo."  
  
Remy smiled down at the Canadian. "Do believe you're right, Mon ami."  
  
Ororo could not suppress a smile at the two men. "I was attempting to be polite. I forgot who I was speaking to. Both of you. Out."  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Anything you say, ma'am." Logan gave her a mock salute before grabbing Remy's coat and walking out. "C'mon, kid, I need a smoke."  
  
Betsy smiled as Remy's amusement flowed over her. She had worried about him, about how the confrontations would affect him but he seemed to be doing well.  
  
The door closed behind them, leaving the two women alone and Betsy turned her full attention on Ororo.  
  
"I wanted to thank you."  
  
Betsy looked up at the other woman curiously. "Why?"  
  
"You fulfilled your promise to me and cared for Remy when I could not. It is good to see my brother smile and laugh again." Ororo lips lifted in an attempt at a friendly smile.  
  
Betsy returned her tentative smile. "It is good to see the two of you close again."  
  
"We have not been close and I find myself regretting that. I would like to get to know you better."  
  
"I would like that too. How about lunch later this week?" Betsy was unsure if the two of them had anything in common beyond concern for Remy so she did not know if the two of them could be friends. However, they did need to get to know each other better if they were both to be a part of Remy's life.  
  
Ororo nodded. "Yes, that would be a good place to start."  
  
There was an awkward moment before the two of them turned and walked to the door.  
  
Hank was waiting for Betsy outside and Ororo greeted the blue mutant before heading toward the stairs and her greenhouse.  
  
As soon as they were alone, Betsy immediately demanded, "Have you found anything?"  
  
"Yes, please bring him down to the lab when he is ready."  
  
Betsy nodded. *Remy.*  
  
*Oui, chere.*  
  
*Hank has the test results.*  
  
Apprehension and tenseness burned across the link. *Oui, be right der.*  
  
*As will I.*  
  
Gratitude and affection flowed over her accompanied by another emotion that she did not wish to identify at the moment. Instead she returned her attention to Hank. "He is coming."  
  
Hank nodded but did not ask how she knew.  
  
It was a tense group that entered the lab and Betsy kept her arm wrapped tightly around Remy's waist, giving physical and emotional comfort. Remy's nervousness was already spiking due to being in the lab and Hank's nervousness was only making him worse.  
  
They stepped into Hank's office where he closed the door and sat down behind the desk, asking them to take a seat but Remy shook his head, preferring to stand. He leaned on the wall near the door and pulled Betsy to him until her back rested against his chest and his arms were wrapped around her waist tightly. She lay her hands over his, interlacing their fingers as they waited for Hank's news.  
  
"First of all, I am glad to tell you that, except for the malnutrition I informed Betsy of last night, you are in good health. You have no diseases or lasting wounds, at least physical wounds, from your ordeal."  
  
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief and Remy pressed a light kiss to her temple. *Looks like you be holdin' somet'ing ot'er dan Remy's hand tonight, chere.*  
  
She rubbed against him slightly. *I am looking forward to it.*  
  
"Unfortunately, I did find out something else." Hank immediately had their full attention and Betsy's grip on Remy's hands tightened. Hank cleared his throat. "Perhaps, Betsy, it would be easier if you..."  
  
Betsy could feel Remy's curiousity focussing on her. "Perhaps it would be best." She turned so she could look up into his eyes. "I did some research on Sinister and, with what you told me of the Massacre, it occured to me that there was maybe a reason for your actions that no one had considered. I asked Hank to look for anything unusual in your brain or nervous system."  
  
Remy's gaze switched from one to the other in bewilderment and, Betsy could feel, fear.  
  
Hank's eyes were very serious as he said, "Remy, I found something."  
  
Remy's eyes narrowed dangerously, his fear spiking as he turned to Betsy. "You said you wouldn' repeat anyt'ing Remy tol' ya."  
  
"I did not, Remy." Betsy kept her shields lowered. She had feared that he would not take this well. "You can look if you wish. What I told him was something I suspected after reading the files on Sinister. I think Sinister did something to you, something beyond what you know."  
  
"And she was correct."  
  
Remy focussed back on Hank, his emotions a chaos of fear, curiousity, anger, shame, more. He still held Betsy, seeking comfort, support, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.  
  
Hank took a deep breath. "There is the remains of a small implant over the part of the brain that controls your emotions. From what I have been able to determine, it would have interferred with the normal neural pathways, putting you into an almost sleepwalker state. You would still have your full intellectual and motor responses but any emotions attatched to the actions would be voided. You would become very tractable, having no resentment over the orders, nor anger or shame over any actions taken."  
  
"That is why you were numb in the tunnels, asleep." Betsy stroked his face. "That is why you did it. You were not under your own control."  
  
"Under Sinister's control. It wasn' my fault. Is dat what Henri is saying?" His eyes were incredulous.  
  
Hank answered for her. "If what you were feeling was a vague numbness, then yes, that would have been the effect of the implant. However, the implant burned out, leaving you with the memories and returning your emotions."  
  
"That must be why you woke up in the middle of it. It burnt out and released you from Sinister's control." She stroked his bangs away from his face.  
  
"Why didn' ya tell me dis before?" His emotions were in such turmoil, Betsy could not know if he was asking out of anger or not.  
  
"I only had vague suspicions and I did not want to raise your hopes or worry you more. I am sorry." She contined to stroke his hair, her other arm wrapped around his neck, holding him tightly as he did not push away.  
  
Remy looked back over at Hank. "You said it's burnt out?"  
  
"Yes, it has been inoperative for a long time and your body is slowly eroding it away."  
  
"Could it be turned back on?"  
  
Betsy could hear the worry and fear in Remy's voice and shared it. If Sinister could turn it on again....  
  
"No. Whatever happened to cause it to burn out, it destroyed the connections between the curcuits. I would offer to remove the last of it, unfortunately I do not have the skill. However, please, believe me, if it could be reactivated, I would tell you. I just wish we had known about it sooner, perhaps things might have been different." He looked away. "Or perhaps not. I would like to inform the others but will, of course, say nothing without your consent." He paused then looked up hopefully. "Would you like me to?"  
  
Remy shook his head. "Non, gotta t'ink 'bout dis."  
  
Hank nodded, "Of course." 


	24. Chapter 24

Mail Call  
  
Jade - Good to hear from you. Your requests 1-Should happen, 2-There's a thought, 3-Unfortunately at school. However, she is starting to demand a fic in which she takes a more active role. Probably will be the next one I start. She's getting really insistant.  
  
MagnusXXN - Good ideas. I don't think I'm really going to have Hank discover anything really weird at this point. He was just doing an overall physical but maybe later. I have ideas for a sequel that I'll mention at the end of the story. See what people think.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - Glad you like it. Hope you like this one.  
  
girlonthem00n - Welcome back. Glad you like my version of the Massacre.  
  
chrmedbythecajun - Thank you, I'll try.  
  
Ethix - Glad to hear from you again. I'm glad I've hooked you onto this couple.  
  
eeyore - No, no hints but interesting idea.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another short chapter, I know, but I liked the ending too much to add to it. However, this is not the end of the story, more coming soon.  
  
************************************  
  
Chapter 24  
  
Remy still seemed in shock as Betsy led him into her room once again. He had a faraway look in his eyes and did not resist as she pushed him to sit on the bed. Locking the door once again, she sat down beside him. Holding his hand and stroking the long nimble fingers, she waited for him to work through what he had just discovered. His mind and emotions were in such turmoil that even with their link she could not guess at what was going on inside of him.  
  
Finally, he turned his head slightly, looking down into her concerned eyes. "It wasn' m'fault?"  
  
She nodded, stroking the bangs back from his face, fighting the tears at the disbelief and insecurity in his soft voice.  
  
"Never believed it wasn' m'fault. Never t'ought dat. Never t'ought 'e did somethin' to make me obey. Jus' t'ought Remy was young 'nd stupid." His voice was still overly soft and he reached up to lay his hand hesitantly on her cheek, still staring at her. "Why? Why did you t'ink different? Why'd you believe in Remy when 'e don' believe in 'imself?"  
  
"I..." Betsy could not think of what to say. All she knew was that the more she got to know him the less she believed he could ever willingly be a party to Massacre. He cared too much about others. It showed in the small things. The way he was overly aware when he made others uncomfortable, the way he tried to protect her from his powers and even her own choices, the way he took the abuse the others had heaped on him, letting them feel better at his own expense. He cared more than he would ever show but how could she tell him that, put her concern, affection, and growing admiration into words. She couldn't. So, instead, she focussed on sending him her emotions, her thoughts, over their link as she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against his mouth.  
  
He quickly responded, parting his lips and allowing her entrance into his mouth where their tongues played and stroked. Their hands quickly followed their mouths' example, softly touching and caressing. Clothes were removed and shed without concious thought as their entire attention was focussed on the melding of their mouths. When they finally broke apart, they were lying together on the bed, no barriers between them. Remy immediately began to kiss his way down Betsy's body, stopping to suckle lovingly at her breasts as his hands stroked the insides of her thighs, making her moan with pleasure.  
  
He rolled her onto her back, licking and nipping at her neck, pressing her into the mattess just the way he knew she liked it, his fingers stroking her lower lips, dipping inside the wet heat briefly before returning to teasing explorations. His attentions were driving her quickly to ecstasy as they always did and she arched against him, making him purr as his pleasure at her response slid over her mind. Tugging on his hair, she caused him to look up and pulled him in for another deep kiss during which she rolled them over until she was straddling his thighs. Her hands slid slowly down his chest and stomach before wrapping around his arousal. Luring his tongue into her own mouth, she sucked and stroked, her mouth working in the same rythem as her hands moving over his hard erection.  
  
He moaned into the kiss, lifting his head to deepen it as his hands gripped her thighs. She continued to stroke and tease until he was arching into her every caress, slight whimpers at the back of his throat and she could feel his need and desire running throught the link, almost overpowering in their intensity and making her shake with her own need. However, she was not done yet, she wanted to taste him, was determined to. With a force of will, she broke the kiss, tearing her mouth from his with a whimper of her own at the lost contact, she worked her way down his chest, nipping and licking. His hands tangled in her hair, stroking and massaging her scalp as he writhed in pleasure under her exploring fingers. Her tongue flicked over a pearled nipple wrenching a moan from him and she did it again, feeling the pleasure in him spike and quickly filing away the information. The realization that she could use the link to find his most sensitive spots as he had found hers entranced her. She slowed her explorations even further, touching and tasting every inch of his skin, learning his body's secrets until he was moaning incoherently.  
  
*Betsy. Please. Mon coeur. So good.*  
  
His mental pleas made her gasp and reignited her own desire as she quickly moved to straddle her hips, lowering herself over him. His hands gripped her hips as his hiss of ecstasy blended with her moan of pleasure. This is what they both wanted, needed and she reached for him as he leaned up, their mouths meeting once again even as her hips began to move over him in an almost frantic rythem. Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him prisoner as she kissed him hard. His hands roamed her body, cupping and massaging her aching breasts making her arch back with a cry of ecstasy, her body tightening around hers. He fell back against the bed, bucking his hips upwards, striving to join with her as deeply as possible. Their pleasure joined, flowing between them as Betsy moved over him faster, harder, and he rose to meet her, holding her steady as her back arched in ecstasy, her body tight and hot, shivering and clenching, bringing his own release with a cry that was her name.  
  
Betsy collapsed onto his chest, still joined, unwilling, and unable, to move further. His hands still rested on her hips as he also was too exhausted to move. Anyone seeing them, eyes closed, wrapped together in boneless relaxation, would have thought them asleep but, althought their bodies were too tired to move, their mind continued to caress each other, exchanging feelings of pleasure, happiness, contentment. Their names and thoughts were soft touches, dream like, not cohesive. The two of them drifted in a this state for an unknown amount of time until falling into actual slumber. 


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25  
  
Remy was still fast asleep when Betsy woke up once again. They had shifted at some point during their nap and now lay on their sides, facing each other, one of her legs still wrapped around his hip. Laying there, watching him sleep, she felt content, protective, and protected. She had become very close to him a very short time. Of course, they had drawn close when he was vulnerable and she was happy to seem him growing stronger, fighting for himself, now, as well as others. He would not need her soon and they would begin to grow apart, become just friends at most. She was surprised that thought hurt. Perhaps it was the fact that it had felt good to be needed. Maybe she would miss the easy affection he showed her, always touching, holding, teasing. Neither she nor any of her other lovers had been as free and open with their affection. It was surprising, new, and very nice. Would he still hug her, wrap his arm around her as they walked together, when they were only friends?  
  
Her mind cruelly taunted her with the words he had said before, 'Je vous aimer', and earlier, 'ma coeur': I love you, my heart. The words inspired hopes and feelings that she had not acknowledged. Why had she believed in him? The answer came to her suddenly and unwelcome. Why did she believe in him? She loved him. He was intelligent and fun, self-controlled and passionate, wild and cultured. He was a mass of contradictions, having many facets and she enjoyed each one. Going to the bar and the club with him had been fun. Discussing fine art with him had been challenging. Confiding in him had been easy. So, what was she to do?  
  
Simple. She would be his friend and, maybe, it would grow into something stronger, maybe his words were real. However it ended though, she would wait for him to decide if he meant his words that continued to taunt her or if they had been said in misplaced gratitude. She would not tell him of her love, influence him when he was at his weakest. Because whatever he decided, she would be there for him as a friend, just as she had promised.  
  
His breathing changed and Remy opened his eyes slowly, with a content sigh. His eyes were soft like banked coals and he smiled at her as he moved to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Chere."  
  
She returned his smile. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Bien, merci." He pulled her close and nuzzled lightly at her neck, not with passion but simple affection.  
  
Betsy relaxed further under the light touch, enjoying the closeness. Unfortunately, the shadows across the room said the day was wearing on and it would soon be time to face the others again.  
  
She was about to mention this when he suprised her. He did not mean to but his words did anyway. "Like sleepin' in dis room. Only place Remy slept good in don' know how long." He looked into her wide eyes and laughed silently. "Is true."  
  
She smiled and lightly stroked his hair as he returned his attention to her bare shoulders. "I am glad. Unfortunately, we need to get up soon. It is afternoon and you need to make a decision."  
  
His nuzzling stilled but he kept his face buried against her neck. *Oui. Does Henri tell dem 'bout de implant or no.*  
  
"Yes."  
  
*Chere, I don' know. Like to t'ink it make 'em happy, knowin' Remy didn' do it but den what does Remy do? Make nice wit' dem, like none of dis happened? Like de didn' like or trust me enough not to let me die, to find de truth? 'Sides, don' t'ink it make any difference. T'ink some of dem only fin' somet'ing else to be mad at Remy for. Warren probably just say Remy still under Sinister's control or dat it was planted, dat it proves Remy served Sinister willingly.*  
  
His body was tensing with each passing moment as his emotions and thoughts became darker, harsher. Betsy held him closer, rubbing his back, whispering to him soothingly. He was angry and she could not blame him.  
  
*Dey didn' come back for Remy 'nd if Remy remin' dem of dat...dey gonna wonder how Remy got out.* He was very tense and even the link was awash once again in fear.  
  
Betsy wrapped herself more firmly around him, holding him tightly. She had wondered more than once how he had gotten out of Antartica alive but had not wanted to ask, to pry, trusting him to tell her when he was ready.  
  
Remy was silent for a long time. *Dey wouldn' like 'ow Remy got out 'nd Remy can' tell dem.*  
  
Betsy nodded. Her curiousity was burning but she was not going to push him. Whatever reason he had for keeping it a secret, it would be a valid one and it would not, she was certain, have anything to do with Sinister.  
  
Remy pulled back and looked down at her searchingly. "You don' t'ink it was Sinister." It was not a question and it was said with a kind of awe. "'Nd you not gonna ask. You trust Remy." He kissed her softly. "Remy already told ya de anwer to de mystery."  
  
Betsy looked up at him in confusion, his face so near hers their noses almost touched. She could see the laughter dancing in his eyes and could not help joining in it. He wanted her to ask, she could tell, and her curiousity was increased by his cryptic statements. "I admit it. I want to know how you escaped and I can not figure it out."  
  
*'Member what Remy told ya 'bout de guild child'en?*  
  
*Yes.* Betsy responed mentally, knowing that this was not something to be discussed out loud if there was a chance to be overheard.  
  
His eyes sparkled in amusement. *Jus' 'cause Remy's exiled don' mean his papa don' check up on 'im.*  
  
Understanding dawned on her and she laughed. *The guild pulled you out?*  
  
*Oui. Tante had a dream dat Remy in tres trouble. She tell papa 'nd he send help. Still can' return to N'Awlins so de bring Remy to de only ot'er place he called home.*  
  
*I am surprised they would bring you to people who tried to kill you.*  
  
Remy's smile faltered and became bittersweet. *Dey didn' want to but de Assassins know if Remy come back home 'nd der was nowhere else safe. 'Owever, dey been keepin' tabs on dis Cajun. Papa said dat if Remy show up in Antartica 'gain, Remy be livin' in dis mansion alone.*  
  
Betsy knew that many people would think it laughable that a group of thieves thought they could destroy the X-men but she was not so sure. Either way, she was glad it had not come down to that.  
  
"But, Remy still need ta decide. Tell dem 'bout the chip or non."  
  
"There is no guarantee that it will help the situation but I think it would relieve Ororo and some of them. Besides, the information that Sinister is capable of it could be useful in the future, something to watch for."  
  
He nodded slowly kissing her once again. Both their eyes remained closed as their lips parted and he leaned his forehead against hers. "Der somet'ing else Remy wanna talk to you 'bout. Wanna get dis settled 'nd Remy understan' whatever you say."  
  
Betsy tensed in nervous anticipation, knowing that Remy was feeling the same. Whatever was coming did not sound good. Her hands slowly rubbed his sides lightly, giving and taking comfort, perhaps, from the sound of it, for the last time.  
  
"We frien's now, no matter what, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Remy'll always be der for you."  
  
Betsy tried to swallow the lump in her throat, fearing he was saying good bye. "I know. I will always be there for you as well."  
  
"Remy knows. Remy remembers what he told ya las' night." Betsy froze in fear of his next words. "Want ya ta know, it wasn' a lie. Je vous aimer. I love ya."  
  
Betsy opened her mouth to say something, to point out that he was vulnerable right now. He should not be making decisions like this right now. She wanted to say all that but he sensed her intentions and covered her lips with his hand.  
  
"Non, listen. Yes, Remy been hurtin' 'nd real grateful you come 'nd help. Dat's not when de love started. Like t'touch you, taste you, but dat's not when de love start. It start when we talkin' bout art, 'bout our families, 'bout Sinister 'nd Slaymaster. Been growin' when Remy's happy 'nd been strong when Remy's hurtin'. 'M not askin' for forever but I wanna be wit' you, talk t'you, make love t'you, nd wake up wit' you. It's up to you. Remy be your frien', lover, or man. Your choice." He removed his hand to allow her to speak, his fingers trailing down her cheek. His eyes opened in surprise to find her staring up at him, eyes wet with tears. "Shhh, Chere, don' cry."  
  
This time it was Betsy who brought up a hand to quiet speech. "I want all three. I love you."  
  
No other words were possible as his mouth quickly found hers and the bed rocked beneath them as they made love once again. 


	26. Chapter 26

MagnusXXN - Nope not the end yet. I learned my lesson from Wild Side and will announce when I post the last chapter. Although, I will admit we are getting near it.  
  
girlonthem00n - Thank you.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - The Bemy shippers, huh? Well I guess we must work to convert more over to our way of thinking. I know you have already been working on one person.  
  
chrmedbythecajun - Thank you! (Blushes in appreciation.)  
  
Jade121 - It's a thought.  
  
***************************  
  
Chapter 26  
  
Quite awhile later, after they had cleaned up and dinner was announced the two of them walked down to the dining room, arms wrapped around each other's waists. They received the expected mixture of greetings and glares as they walked into the room and the responded with to the greetings with smiles and ignored the rest. Remy held Betsy's chair for her, seating her next to Logan as he sat down next to Ororo.  
  
It was a tense dinner. Most every topic had to be avoided and so the meal passed in uncomfortable silence. As uncomfortable as it was, it seemed over to soon and they made their way back to the study, although Hank, Remy, and Betsy hung back from the others.  
  
"I do not wish to pry but have you come to a decision?" Hank's eyes were full of concern but Remy would not meet that gaze.  
  
He kept his eyes on the ground as he nodded slightly. "Oui, you c'n tell 'em." Betsy lay her head against his shoulder, giving him silent reassurance and Remy closed his eyes, rubbing his cheek lightly over the top of her hair. His lips turned up in a slight smile. "You c'n tell 'em everyt'ing."  
  
"Thank you, my friend. I know it is hard but I think it will finally bring peace." He turned and eagerly stepped into the study.  
  
*Henri's an optimist.*  
  
Betsy nodded in agreement and they finally made their way into the study, seating themselves on the couch beside Ororo once again.  
  
Scott closed the doors once again, saying, "Ok, now that we have had time to cool down, let's try this again. Gambit..."  
  
Hank quickly interrupted before Scott could ask whatever he had intended. "Excuse me, but I have come into information today that has a strong bearing on the entire situation."  
  
"Hank, it can wait."  
  
Hank's eyes were still soft but firm. "No. I do not believe it can wait and it changes everything."  
  
Scott rubbed his brow, apparently already getting another headache and the meeting had not even started yet. "Fine, Hank, what is it?"  
  
"Remy came to my lab yesterday and I gave him his first physical as part of the X-men." Several people looked at him quizzically. The thief had been injured many times before, surely Hank had given him a check up then. The blue mutant raised his hand as if sensing the questions. "He has never remained in my lab for longer than to get his hand bandaged. I went over his test results today and made a discovery that changes the entire situation we have been discussing and arguing about. Remy was not in control of himself during the massacre."  
  
There were several mumers of surprise and Ororo immediately lay her hand on her brother's shoulder. Jean's eyes showed her disbelief. "Hank, if you are trying to infer that Sinister mind controlled him, well, I can verify his defenses are much too strong for that."  
  
Hank held up his hand. "Remy was controlled but not through telepathy. Sinister implanted a device in his brain that shut down his emotions. It, in essence, took his will but left his skills. From what I can tell, it burnt out at some point long ago which seems to coincide with what we know of the story."  
  
Warren's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"We know that Remy led the Marauders into the tunnels and then, in glaring contradiction, almost died bringing one of the condemened safely out of the tunnels. Therefore, it can be assumed that the implant was active upon his entry into the tunnels but burnt out sometime between the Marauders discovery of the Morlocks and Remy's discovery of Marrow."  
  
Ororo turned to the lean man beside her, wet eyes full of guilt and sorrow. "I should have guessed, how could I have believed it of you, of my brother. Remy, I am..." Words failed her as the tears escaped her eyes.  
  
Remy responded immediately, wrapping her in a comforting hug. "Hush, Stormy, 's ok. Der nothing to forgive. Remy not believe in 'imself, 'ow could you?"  
  
Ororo clung to the man who had become her closest family as the implications continued to dawn on the others.  
  
Bobby's were wide with confusion as he looked from Hank to Warren and back again. Warren had a shell shocked look on his face, the foundation of his carefully built hatred cracking and failing. Scott and the Professor looked at each other with guilty expressions. Logan remained silent while Betsy lay her hand on Remy's back for which he sent her a mental thank you for her understanding.  
  
Jean nodded very matter of factly. "Well, now that that's settled. I hope you have learned, Remy, to come to us sooner with your problems. All of this could have been avoided if you had told us everything and allowed yourself to be fully checked first."  
  
Betsy's anger flared and she prepared to attack, although she was not sure yet if it would be physical or verbal, when Remy's voice snuck through her head, chuckling. *Dis de day for surprises, look like Remy can read de future.*  
  
His comment caught her completely by surprise. *What?*  
  
Amusment tinged with his concern for Ororo, washed down the link. *Didn' Remy predict he get blamed for somet'ing else now.*  
  
Betsy immediately realized what he was trying to do and barely surpressed a smile. *Fine, I will not kill her at this moment. Maybe later?*  
  
*Maybe, if you a good girl.*  
  
Betsy moved her fingers into the collar of his coat, lightly scratching his neck. *Then I guess she lives because once I get you back to my room, I plan on being a bad girl, a very bad girl.* The last was sent as a low purr sending a shiver of desire through his mind.  
  
Betsy turned her attention back to the group at large and smiled knowingly as she saw the frustration on Jean's face. She had felt the other telepath probing at the edge of her and Remy's link. However, their individual shields had always been too strong for her to break through and, combined, the red head did not have a prayer of success.  
  
Scott quickly cleared his throat. "Well, this changes everything."  
  
Remy's voice was hollow as he replied, "Oui, it does." *Unfortunately.* Betsy leaned her head against his upper back, sensing his need for contact. *De can forgive a victim but still not stupid mistakes.*  
  
Bobby stood up and extended a hand toward the Cajun. "Well, I guess it's let bygones be bygones, huh?"  
  
Remy nodded but did not let go of Ororo to take the offered hand and Bobby cleared his throat uncomfortably, sitting back down.  
  
Warren continued to say nothing and Jean stood up, laying a hand on Ororo's shoulder. "Well, I'm glad that's settled. Ororo, are you going to be ok?"  
  
The African mutant stood, her eyes flashing in anger. "No, Jean, I am not. I exiled my brother without reason. We should have looked into this sooner. We should have thought of it. I should have thought of it!"  
  
Jean tried to rub her shoulder soothingly. "How were we to know when he keeps so many secrets?"  
  
Storm's eyes flashed brighter and there was a tenseness in the air like a calm before the storm. It was into this that Logan stepped, speaking up for the first time. "Look, we fucked up. We ALL fucked up and there's more than enough blame ta go aroun'. Thing is though, I'm sick of hearing it. I'm sick of Wing's whining, Rogue's bitching, Remy's silence, and everyone else's self pity. Let's get it over with." He turned to Remy. "So, what is it Cajun, we drop it or you kick some people's asses?"  
  
Remy stood up and looked around the room. "Drop it. People made stupid mistakes, it 'appens to everyone. 'S over."  
  
Betsy stood up next to him, leaning against him as his arm immediately snaked around her waist. *Very nice of you, giving them forgiveness for stupid mistakes when they will not give it to others.*  
  
*'S not easy, amour, but 's de right t'ing ta do.*  
  
*****************************  
  
This is not the end!!!!! 


	27. Chapter 27

Jade121 - She was tempted to blast Jean but why start the fights over again? Later, though, who knows.  
  
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey - There's a few more coming up. I want to get a few things settled before you leave.  
  
girlonthem00n - Thank you. Glad to have kept your interest.  
  
sapphireskies - Thank you. Glad you're back.  
  
MagnusXXN - Oh, Warren's about to try something. You can be sure of that.  
  
chrmdbythecajun - Yea! Another convert. Glad you're liking this.  
  
vicol - Thank you. I'm glad it's kept your interest.  
  
********************************************  
  
Chapter 27  
  
Logan nodded at his answer. "Fine. Cajun's vindicated. Everyone else is forgiven. The end!" With a last glare, he strode out of the house, muttering about needing a drink to deal with this crap.  
  
Betsy smiled in fond amusement and was not surprised when his exit caused others to make excuses and start leaving. Hank and Bobby murmured something about twinkies. Scott had paperwork and excused himself with an apology to Remy as did Professor Xavier who announced he was going to use Cerebro to try to locate Mr. Sinister. Rogue slipped out silently which made Betsy suspicious but there was nothing to do.  
  
Jean spoke comfortingly to Ororo. "How about we go watch a movie or get some ice cream? Would that make you feel better? We can go somewhere and talk."  
  
Ororo nodded somewhat curtly. "Thank you, Jean, but I still have much to discuss with my brother." Turning to Betsy, she gave the shorter woman an apologetic smile. "May I steal my brother away for a short while?"  
  
Betsy returned the smile, gratified at being asked and not pushed to the side. "If it is for a short while. We also have something to discuss." *Something about bad girls as I remember.*  
  
Remy grinned at her before capturing her mouth in a deep kiss. *Oui, Amour, maybe Remy have ta give you a spanking.*  
  
Betsy kissed him hard in answer and they were breathless when they parted. He placed a last kiss on Betsy's forehead. "Merci for understanding, Amour."  
  
Betsy nodded and turned to leave, ignoring Jean's unhappy green gaze. She turned to go upstairs but found Warren standing next to the door of another small study, blocking her way. "May I speak to you, Betsy?"  
  
She sighed. "I would really rather not."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Betsy looked up in disbelief. He had to be joking. "I do not think the two of us have anything to discuss."  
  
"Yes, Betsy, we do."  
  
She could tell from his intent gaze that he was going to be stubborn. She could also sense Jean's presence just a little further back down the hall. "Fine." Stepping past him into the small empty study, she stood in the middle of the room as he closed the door, waiting.  
  
The blonde man stepped forward, reaching out to her. "Betsy, I've really missed you."  
  
Putting up a hand to stop his advance, she stared at him increduously. "Missed me? I have been here at the mansion."  
  
"Come on, you know what I mean. I was wrong about the Cajun and I'm sorry I took it out on you. Why don't we go out for dinner?"  
  
"What?" Was the man blind? Had he not seen that she and Remy were now together.  
  
He gave her an understading smile. "Now, Betsy, I know I've been a jerk recently and I'm glad you made a new friend, but, honestly, don't you miss us, what we had?"  
  
"No, I can honestly say I do not." When had Warren turned so insensitve and arrogant? Perhaps he had always been like this but she had been too blind to see it. "Warren, we are through. Accept that. Besides, Remy..."  
  
Warren waved away her next comment before she could finish. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be back with Rogue now that he's been proven innocent. She'll forgive him and it'll be just like old times. C'mon, let's go out to dinner."  
  
Betsy's hands clenched at her sides. "No. Remy and I are together now."  
  
His smile became even more tolerant. "Be reasonable. He's going to go back to Rogue, he always does. Besides, aren't you tired of him yet. I mean what on earth could you two have in common. Wouldn't you like to be with someone who can take you to an art gallery and appreciate it."  
  
Betsy started laughing. She could not help it. Warren thought Remy knew nothing about art, could not appreciate the finer things. He really did not know the Cajun very well. "Acutally, Warren, Remy suits me perfectly. Now, if you will excuse me." She tried to step past him to the door.  
  
Warren's hand lashed out, grabbing her arm and pulling her against him. He embraced her tightly, pinning her arms to her side. His eyes were icy flames, cold desire and need for conquest. "He's nothing but a swamp rat, Betsy. So what if he was controlled. He still went to Sinister for help, he's still a thief, he's still an uneducated, secretive plebian. You're too old for infatuations and that's all this is."  
  
Betsy was furious. She turned her head away as Warren leaned in trying to claim her mouth and brought her heel down on his instep with enough force to break it. He let her go to clutch at the aching appendage and she helped him by grabbing his hair, pushing his head down as she rammed her knee into his face. Howling in pain, he fixed her with an angry stare but she was not done. A quick kick to the temple closed his eyes into unconciousness.  
  
Betsy stared down at the body, still caught up in her fury, and gave the fallen man a quick kick in the ribs. "Bloody, arrogant bastard!"  
  
*Betsy!* Remy's concerned voice flashed through her head. *What happened?*  
  
Betsy straightened her clothes and hair before turning to the door once again. *Nothing much. Warren wanted to talk to me and was being his usual self.*  
  
*You sure you ok, Amour.*  
  
*Yes, I just want a shower.*  
  
There was a flow of playful desire along their link. *Want Remy to scrub you back?*  
  
Betsy smiled in pleasure at the mental image. *And wash my hair.*  
  
*Oui, Amour, Remy meet you up der.*  
  
**********************************  
  
Betsy stepped into the hallway, intending to meet Remy and head up to her room for the promised shower. She did not bother to alert anyone to Warren's state, not caring that he would be waking up with a headache. Looking up the hallway, she saw Remy had said goodbye to Ororo who had immediately gone outside to enjoy the fine weather. He had turned to walk toward Betsy when a familiar figure stepped into his path.  
  
Rogue's back was to Betsy and she did not think the other woman realized someone else was in the hall. All her attention was focuses on her ex. "So, now ya been found innocent, Swamp Rat." Her voice was a low hiss. "An' that makes me a killer, huh?"  
  
"Non, Rogue, it means ya made a mistake. Leave it 'lone." A pack of cards seemed to have magically appeared in his hand.  
  
"But, that's what they're sayin' now. Now that bitch and flyboy are gonna get back together, she's gonna get them all on your side through him, all the original members. They always stick together, everyone knows that an' now ya're gonna use it ta make me the bad girl."  
  
The link was fully open and Betsy could feel his nervousness, she could also feel the fear fueling Rogue's fury.  
  
"Ya're gonna run me outta ma home!"  
  
"Rogue," Remy spoke to her placatingly, trying to use his empathy to calm her, "You're not t'inging straight right now. No one's going to run you out of your home. Jus' let de past go. It's all over. Remy don' t'ink 'bout it no more 'nd neit'er should anyone else."  
  
Betsy used Rogue's inattention to sneak closer behind her. If Rogue tried anything, the girl would receive a psychic blade right in the middle of her skull.  
  
"Liar! Ya always been a liar! Well I ain't gonna wait 'round here for ya to get your revenge to turn the others on me!"  
  
"Rogue, Remy's not going to do dat."  
  
"Even if it would be justice." Betsy could not resist. Remy may have been forgiving but Betsy was still angry.  
  
Rogue swung around and glared at her. "What are you doin' back there? Why ain't you out with Warren?"  
  
"Why would I be?"  
  
"Rogue." She turned back at hearing Remy say her name. "Betsy's not wit' Warren. She wit' me so dis concerns her. No one's usin' de ot'ers 'gainst you. De on'y trouble der's gonna be is any you start."  
  
"What the hell do ya mean by that?"  
  
"You leave Besty 'nd me 'lone, we all get on fine. You mess wit' Betsy or me 'gain, 'nd you gonna get hurt real bad."  
  
The Southern woman looked back and forth between the two lovers. "Ya'll are threatin' me?"  
  
Betsy smiled evilly and extended her psychic knife. "No, we are warning you. We have had enough of this entire stupidity. So, either you drop it or you get dropped."  
  
She continued to look back and forth between the two of them and, through Remy, Besty could feel the fear and apprehension growing inside the woman. "Ya'll gonna gang up on little ol' me?" One on one, she had a good chance of winning but combined...Rogue had no defense against Betsy's psychic knife and Remy was fully capable of generating enough kinetic energy to hurt her. She was almost invulnerable not actually invulnerable.  
  
Betsy continued to smile. "That is what people in love do, they take care of each other. Maybe you will discover that some day."  
  
"Oui, now if dis is done, Remy's got a promise to keep."  
  
Rogue glanced between the two of them again, taking in their battle ready stances and the determination in their eyes. "Fine!" She took off through and open door into one of the small studies and out the window.  
  
Remy replaced the cards into his coat and stepped forward to embrace Betsy tightly. "You ok, Amour."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Remy smiled and kissed her deeply. "Bien, now 'bout dis shower..."  
  
"Sounds very nice."  
  
It was several more minutes before they resumed their journey up the stairs. They were content to hold and touch and taste each other, sharing love until desire and lust made its own demands.  
  
~The End~  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************************************************  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, not the best place to end the story but everything's pretty much settled. Now, I promised a preview of my thoughts for the sequel and I want to know what all of you think.  
  
In the sequel, Betsy becomes pregnant with Remy's child. Tensions still exist in the X-men and begin to drive the team apart. Betsy and Remy will be moving for the protection of their child and Rogue's final decision is shown. This will be an AU and will start dealing with a new generation of heroes as families are begun and parents retire.  
  
Anyway, let me know what you think or if you have other suggestions. 


End file.
